FAIRFIELD >> Valentine’s Day may have been two days earlier, but the Vanden High School girls’ basketball team waited until the third quarter to break the heart of Pioneer of Woodland.

The top-seeded Vikings outscored No. 8 Patriots 33-1 in the period en route to a 94-29 rout in the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs at James Boyd Gymnasium. Vanden advanced to Tuesday’s semifinals to host No. 4 Kimball, a 45-27 winner over Will C. Wood.

Monticello Empire League MVP and San Diego State-bound senior Alyssa Jackson was held to three points in the first half as Vanden led 45-23 going into the locker room. Jackson, however, exploded for 18 points in the third quarter. She finished with a game-high 21 points and never saw the court in the fourth quarter.

“It was tough to start out like that, but I just tell myself that to keep up my confidence because something like the third quarter can happen,” Jackson said.

Even though Jackson was chilly in the first half, junior guard Jaylen Kuehnel was sizzling early with 14 of her 20 points coming before intermission. Kuehnel hit five of her team’s 17 3-pointers for the evening.

“We talked about putting them away (at halftime),” Kuehnel said. “We had to just do what we do and then keep stepping on their neck.”

Vanden co-head coaches Allison Johnson and Jake Johnson said they were pleased with the shot selection in the first half, but they wanted more out of their team defensively.

“I thought we were making great decisions offensively,” Allison Johnson said. “I didn’t like how we were playing defensively. That was our focus. That was our point of emphasis at halftime.”

Added Jake Johnson: “I thought our defense was kind of there but one step off. I felt like we were close to making plays, but (Pioneer) capitalized and then we were able to close that off in the second half.”

Vanden (23-7), ranked No. 8 in the state among D-III schools by maxpreps.com, led 13-2 out of the gate. The Patriots (20-10), however, showed some grit, closing to 13-6 after back-to-back buckets and trailed just 20-10 after a quarter.

Pioneer trailed by just 10 points again in the second quarter when Keziah Maldonado-Lemus set up Ava Contreras for a bucket. However, a Kalyn Harris’ layup sparked a 13-2 run for the Vikings. Kuehnel knocked down two long balls, and Calonni Holloway added another in the spurt. Vanden led 45-23 at halftime, but Pioneer held its own on the glass, picking up 12 rebounds in the period.

“I didn’t like how many offensive boards we gave up; some of those consecutive offensive boards,” Allison Johnson said. “That’s an absolute lack of awareness. I don’t think it takes a lot of talent. It’s a commitment. For some reason, we looked like we took final exams today in the first half. The second half looked a lot more like our team.”

Jackson and Kuehnel were two of five players in double figures for Vanden, the defending section champs. Holloway hit three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points. Mila Simmano’s four 3-balls accounted for 12 points. Gabby Wright chipped in 10 points.

Pioneer’s top scorer was Olivia Gill with nine points. The Patriots were Golden Empire League champs.