BARRE, Vt. — Ross Convertino has preached to his Rivendell boys basketball team since the beginning that the only team that was going to stop the Raptors was themselves. They stayed out of their own way throughout most of the season as Rivendell blazed through its competition and entered Wednesday night 20-2 overall.

But small first-half miscues turned into bigger problems in the second half as the No. 2 seed Raptors fell Wednesday night, 52-41, in the VPA Division IV semifinals at Barre Auditorium to No. 3 Proctor.

“I think we played faster than we wanted to,” said Convertino, the second-year coach. “We wanted to control tempo and slow things down, and we didn’t. Our mental mistakes hurt us tonight.”

Rivendell trailed just 21-20 at the break. Its offense, which entered the game averaging 55.1 points per contest, was struggling to get into a groove but was producing enough points to stay on pace with the fast Proctor transition offense.

However, that changed in the opening minutes of the second half as the Phantoms rattled off 10 consecutive points coming out of halftime, forcing Convertino to call a timeout with 5:13 to play in the third.

The two teams played the rest of the quarter an even 6-6 on the scoreboard, but the Raptors had chances they couldn’t take advantage of and trailed 37-26.

They pulled down 13 offensive rebounds — plenty that could’ve been putbacks — but only four of their six points in the quarter came from the field.

A Kyle Carter trey followed by a Luke Senn jumper got the Raptors off to a strong start in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to nine points, but Proctor (20-3) rattled off a jumper and 3 of its own to stretch its lead back to 11 points.

The closest Rivendell (20-3) got again was with 1 minute, 35 seconds to play when Zach Gould’s floater made it a nine-point game. The Phantoms hit a pair of free throws, however, with 1:04 remaining to finish off the night.

“If you don’t score, they get to grab the rebound and go, and we have to scramble,” said Convertino, whose team made its first appearance in the semifinals since 2015. “If we make the baskets, then we can get back and set up our defense and put pressure on them. I think that obviously changed the game. We gave ourselves opportunities, we just didn’t convert.”

Rivendell finished the night with 24 turnovers, but won the battle on the glass, 57-30, including 35 offensive rebounds.

Convertino pointed out postgame that the Raptors shot 1-of-7 from the free-throw line in the first half, which hindered them from entering the break with the lead. They finished the night 3-of-13 from the line.

Gould finished his final game with a team-high 15 points. He is set to graduate along with Sean Maddock, Senn and Johnny Vogelien.

Senn added 10 points, and Maddock took two big charges in the first half. Vogelien was a reliable point guard for the Raptors all season.

Still, Convertino is excited about what returns next season, including second-leading scorer Kyle Carter, who ends the season averaging 15 points a game.

“That group next year, and the year after, are very talented. Ones that I would hope can get back here or even for the next game,” he said.

Notes: Convertino has compiled a 28-17 record in two years at Rivendell. … Conner McKearin scored a game-high 18 points for the Phantoms. Proctor entered Wednesday on a 16-game win streak and lost in last year’s semifinals, but will now face No. 1 Twin Valley on Saturday for the state title. … Rivendell’s mascot, the Raptor, made the trip to The Aud. … A student in the Rivendell student section carried a jug full of milk with him throughout the game.

Pete Nakos can be reached at pnakos@vnews.com.