The Falcons simply wiped off their brows and played like a house on fire in their 5-0 semifinal victory over host East Rowan in the annual Rowan County Tournament.

‘‘Actually, I think it worked to our advantage,’’ tri-captain Allyn Steele said after West earned a berth in Thursday night’s championship match. ‘‘It gave us a couple more hours to rest and a little more time to absorb what we learned from watching these guys yesterday.’’

They proved to be astute pupils, peppering the East net with shots from close range and converting five times in the first half – including four within a 10-minute span.

‘‘Initially we may have jumped,’’ said winning coach Rob Sweet. ‘‘We prepared ourselves and were ready to go, go, go – whether it was hot or not. Then we got word that it was gonna be delayed and I didn’t know how the kids would react. But they played well. They played their game.’’

They played like a hurried rescue squad, outshooting the Mustangs 14-0 in the first half and 19-2 by the time it was over.

‘‘I don’t think we had the legs or the strength we wanted tonight,’’ said East coach John Heidrick, whose team faced 22 North Rowan shots in Monday’s first-round win. ‘‘Even their play fell apart. At times we reverted to kicking-and-chasing the ball. Meanwhile, West came out sharp and had a real good passing attack.’’

West senior Greg Overcash opened the scoring in the game’s 13th minute when he beat East keeper Derrick Preston off a scramble on the doorstep. ‘‘I think one of their defenders kicked at the ball and missed it,’’ said Overcash. ‘‘It fell right in front of me and I hit it low and hard.’’

The festivities were just beginning for the Falcons, who made it 2-0 midway through the half when Carlos Arosemena dribbled in uncontested and drilled a high, 12-yard shot past Preston.

‘‘Our forwards were all playing off the ball, checking off the ball,’’ said Steele. ‘‘We were playing smart and seeing the whole field. If a shot was there, we took it.’’

They took another at the 29-minute mark when West sophomore Brian Armada settled a pass from freshman Alec Beaver, slipped behind the defense and scored from 10 yards out.

‘‘Our goalkeeper was being blasted from point-blank range,’’ said Heidrick. ‘‘He didn’t have much of a chance because we were making fundamental mistakes. As a defender, you have to stick between the shooter and the goal.’’

Beaver, who played his first varsity match, gave West a 4-0 lead with eight minutes remaining in the half. Two minutes later he added his second of the game off a feed from Armada, earning well-deserved praise from his coach.

‘‘He’s not afraid to go after the ball,’’ said Sweet. ‘‘He makes some good runs, he’s got that good, hard shot and he puts it in the back of the net.’’

Even Steele, the steady defender who helped keep the heat off of West keeper Greg Lowe, was impressed with Beaver. ‘‘He’s so much hustle,’’ said Steele. ‘‘He’s big for a freshman. And he’s rugged. I knew right from the first practice he was gonna be a good one.’’

East (1-1) never did mount much of an attack, although forward Jamie DeVeau sent a pair of shots toward Lowe late in the game. But on this night, the Mustangs were convincingly outhustled, outmuscled and outplayed.

‘‘On paper we really should have been able to hang with them,’’ said Heidrick. ‘‘It just came down to that tired/flat thing.’’

West will enjoy a day of rest before taking on the winner of tonight’s South Rowan-Salisbury semifinal in the title match.

‘‘This is all we wanted,’’ said Sweet, whose team has won the past two tournament crowns. ‘‘I’m glad we’re back in the final and will have a chance to defend this again. Whoever it is we play, I’m sure the best team will come out on top.’’ bullet