FAIRFIELD -- A&M Consolidated boys basketball hasn't gotten many looks at the second round of the playoffs in the last decade, but the Tigers haven't seen many teams like the one that won its postseason opener Tuesday night.

The 20th-ranked Tigers rolled over Longview 65-40 in a Class 5A bi-district game at the Johnson Activity Center, making a couple of enviable marks on the program's history in the process. Consol (30-4) joined the 1988-89 Tigers as the only teams in program history to win 30 games in a season. The District 12-5A champion Tigers notched their first playoff victory since 2008 and the second in the last nine seasons.

"The monkey's off my back for sure," said senior guard Alex Caruso, whose teams had been 0-2 in the playoffs during his first three seasons on the varsity. "Before this game I was thinking I don't know what it feels like to be in the playoffs. I know what it feels like to play a playoff game and lose, but I don't know what it feels like to make a run."

Consol advanced to the area round to face Dallas Jesuit at 7 p.m. Friday at Waco Midway High School. Jesuit (26-6) opened the playoffs by beating Lakeview Centennial 41-37.

Longview, the fourth-place team from 11-5A, finished the season at 11-17.

The Tigers did not trail after the first 2 minutes of the game. Consol opened a comfortable lead with a 15-2 run to start the second quarter, allowing coach Rick German to use all 14 players, including a couple making their varsity debuts after being called up from the JV.

Consol displayed its typical balance on offense, sharing the ball impressively despite the frequent substitutions. The Tigers finished with 13 assists, led by Caruso's terrific all-around effort. The Texas A&M signee dished out six assists to go with 22 points, 11 rebounds, three blocked shots and three dunks. Caruso thrilled the Consol fans with a couple of alley-oop slams off lobs from Quinton White, and Caruso made sure the Tigers didn't let up after intermission with three slick assists to start the third quarter.

"This year there was a different feeling coming into the playoffs," Caruso said. "We had that swagger, that confidence that a team needs, and I think it showed. Sharing the ball's not even a question with our team because everybody's unselfish. All this team is focused on is playing defense and winning."

Consol clamped down on the Lobos, allowing Longview to hit only 11 of 42 shots (26 percent) even though the Tigers had five reserves together on the floor as early as the third quarter and for parts of the final period.

German wouldn't accept a letdown, angrily calling a timeout after Longview hit an open 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter to cut Consol's lead to 48-27.

"We played a pretty good game, but we've got to improve," German said. "There's some little things we've got to work on tomorrow in practice. They got a couple of shooters loose, and in the playoffs you can't allow shooters to have an open look. All shots should be contested."

The second-year coach said he doesn't believe the Tigers are thinking about how their victory total compares to others, or about the recent lack of playoff success for the program.

"We're more focused on what we do, on the next opponent," German said. "Those records are great and we'll cherish them forever, but right now we've got to take care of business."

Junior post Jimmie Gilbert scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds for Consol. Senior guard Josh Potter added seven points and three assists while making a major contribution off the bench. The Tigers had seven players with at least five points, the amount scored by sophomore Vince Walker in his first game up from the JV.

Consol 65, Longview 40

(Numbers indicate field goals, free throws made-attempted, fouls and points)

CONSOL (30-4) -- Josh Stewart 2 2-2 3 6; Josh Potter 3 0-0 0 7; Johnny McGruder 0 0-0 2 0; Quinton White 0 0-0 1 0; Kerry Thomas 2 0-0 4 5; Tyler Isenhart 0 0-0 1 0; Jay Payton 0 0-0 0 0; Alex Caruso 9 3-4 0 22; Vince Walker 2 0-0 0 5; Jeremy Capps 3 0-0 1 6; Ryan Stavinoha 0 0-0 0 0; Jimmie Gilbert 6 0-2 3 12; Ryan Johnson 0 0-0 1 0; Josh Kipp 1 0-0 0 2. Totals: 28 5-8 16 65.

LONGVIEW (11-17) -- K.T. Snoddy 3 4-8 2 10; Brannon Breck 0 0-0 0 0; Romeo Noel 1 0-2 1 2; JaQuan Jackson 3 3-4 0 11; Stephon Anthony 1 2-2 0 5; Jordan Whitaker 1 0-0 2 2; LaQuentin Coby 1 0-0 1 3; T.L. Snyder 0 0-0 0 0; Dorian Leonard 0 0-1 0 0; Cadell Williams 1 5-8 3 7. Totals: 11 14-25 10 40.

Longview 9 7 7 17 -- 40

Consol 14 19 15 17 -- 65

Field goal shooting: Consol 28-51, Longview 11-42.

3-point shooting: Consol 4-12, Longview 4-19.

Rebounds: Consol 33, Longview 29.

Turnovers: Consol 12, Longview 18.

Next: Consol will play Dallas Jesuit in the area round of the playoffs at 7 p.m. Friday at Waco Midway High School.