Caleb White witnessed first-hand the heartbreak that accompanied regional semifinal losses the past two seasons for the Pinson Valley boys’ basketball team.

Staring down a reachable deficit entering the final quarter and without a single point in the second half, White placed the burden of leadership upon his shoulders and commanded the final eight minutes in leading his team on a game-clinching rally.

“I didn’t want to have that feeling again that we had last year, the past two years actually,” White said. “I did whatever it took to get a win.”

White fulfilled his own prophecy as the top-ranked Indians remain unbeaten and three wins away from completing an unblemished season following a late rally in their 59-54 victory over No. 6 Muscle Shoals in Friday’s Class 6A Northwest Regional semifinal at Wallace State’s Tom Drake Coliseum.

“We’ve had quite a few wake-up calls,” Pinson Valley coach Darrell Barber said. “We’ve been down before. We’ve had to fight through adverse situations. Most definitely, when you can get a win like this, in this type of atmosphere, it’s good. We’re woke — and if we weren’t, we are now.”

Pinson Valley (29-0) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first minute of action but the Trojans surged ahead on a 9-0 run ignited by Cedric Summerhill. Both teams match points in the final two minutes and Muscle Shoals took a 15-10 lead into the second period.

The Indians regained control on an 11-2 run, taking a 21-17 lead with Clyde Walters scoring four points and Terry Coner Jr. adding five points on consecutive buckets, but Muscle Shoals closed out the half with a 7-0 run that saw Summerhill score four points in allowing the Trojans to enjoy a 24-21 lead at the halftime break.

Summerhill completed a 10-0 run by the Trojans to open the second half, but Pinson Valley regained the lead, 31-30, on a 10-3 run powered by five points from Walters. A shooting exhibition broke following the lead change and Muscle Shoals entered the final frame with a 44-40 lead on the back of three 3-pointers from Luke Mosley in the final three minutes.

“We talk about history and we want to make history,” Barber said. “We told them, going into the fourth quarter, “You got eight minutes. You can be the biggest bust this year or you can continue to fight for a state title.”

Muscle Shoals (21-6) extended its lead to as many as eight points to open the fourth period, on back-to-back 3-pointers from Jaxon Vandiver, but White had other plans in jumpstarting a 17-4 run — scoring the final eight points of the game — to rally the Indians and advance to the regional final.

Star of the Game: White. The 5-foot-11 junior guard willed Pinson Valley to victory in the final frame, scoring 15 of his 20 points, and adding two rebounds, three assists and two steals. He was shut out in the third frame but scored the final 12 points for the Indians during a 17-4 run, while going 5-for-6 on free throw attempts.

“He brought us home,” Barber said.

Did you know? Pinson Valley advances to the regional final for the first time since consecutive trips in 2019 and 2022. The Indians lost in the regional semifinals the last two seasons.

Stat sheet: Pinson Valley – The Indians shot 47.1 percent overall, had nine steals off 12 turnovers and won the rebounding battle with a plus-4 edge on the glass. Walters produced his second straight playoff double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds while adding two assists, two blocks and two steals, and Coner Jr. had 11 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals. Amari Bowens contributed eight points, four rebounds and two steals. Muscle Shoals – The Trojans were 44 percent from the field — 50 percent on 3-pointers — but only 2-of-4 at the charity stripe. Mosley led Muscle Shoals with 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals, followed by Summerhill with 11 points and six rebounds. Jaxon Vandiver finished with 10 points and three assists, and Jemarion Draper had seven points and three rebounds. Jalen Bowens added five points, four rebounds and three assists.

Coachspeak: “Shout out to Muscle Shoals, most definitely. They came to play, as everyone has this entire season, but they came with a game plan and stuck to it. They played really hard, much respect to them. We came out a little tense and had to settle in. It was a bit rough but we’ve seen adverse situations this season. One thing I know about my guys, is they’re going to continue to fight.” — Pinson Valley’s Darrell Barber

“It’s tough, this close to the end of the game, to know what to say and put in words our emotions. Bottom line, I couldn’t be more proud of our kids. Playing a team like Pinson Valley, we heard all the noise and they are every bit of what people say they are, and our kids believed they were too. I give our guys and the leaders of our team all the credit.” — Muscle Shoals’ Neal Barker

He said it: “The crowd was really into it and we just had to come out play. We had to play hard in the fourth.” — Walters

What’s next? Pinson Valley advances to the Northwest Regional final, where they’ll face either Cullman or Buckhorn, Wednesday, Feb. 22, at Wallace State’s Tom Drake Coliseum.