Rome — Wesleyan advanced to its ultimate destination Saturday — the AA semifinals — but it was hardly a smooth journey.

Pace, undersized but fully committed, battled the behemoth Wolves at every turn, refusing to succumb to the significant size disparity. In the end, though, size mattered.

Jason Getz/AJC (ENLARGE)

Wesleyan's Howard Thompkins is fouled by Pace Academy's Dj Edler as he attempts a shot in Wesleyan's 59-52 quarterfinal win over Pace Academy.

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Howard Thompkins, the 6-foot-8 star headed to Georgia, used his considerable bulk and skill to fend off defenders and score 26 points in leading Wesleyan to a 59-52 victory and its first semifinal berth.

The Wolves face Dublin, which upset No. 1 Randolph-Clay, Thursday in Macon.

"This is a huge lift for the program," coach Skip Matherly said. "The Final Four is icing on the cake. Whatever happens there happens there. To get there you have to prove it on the court that you're one of the best teams, and we did."

When Thompkins was not scoring or pounding the boards, his interior sidekick, 6-foot-5 Erik Strong was. Or 6-foot-5 point guard Tanner Smith. Or 6-foot-4 Michael Cornelius. Getting the picture?

"It's no secret what we want to do," Matherly said. "We know our strengths."