Midfield’s Dalvin Dawson believes he has made more than eight 3-pointers in a game, but he isn’t worried about setting any new records during the state tournament.

Only concluding his final season with a ring and a blue map.

“The most I’ve had is 10 or 11,” Dawson said. “You got to have the confidence to keep shooting. I knew I had to make some big shots because I was in a slump. Shooters going to shoot and I shot my way up out of there.”

The second-ranked Patriots forged ahead on Dawson’s pinpoint shooting and their defense carried the load in the second half of a 67-50 victory over Hillcrest-Evergreen in Tuesday’s Class 3A boys state semifinal at BJCC’s Legacy Arena.

Midfield (25-5) got two 3-pointers from Dawson in the first three minutes of the contest, taking an 8-4 lead, and closed out the first period with a 5-0 run ignited by Dawson’s third 3-pointer of the quarter.

De’Marreon Baldwin’s free throw doubled up the Jaguars to open the second period, but Jermonte Stallworth and Christian Locke hit consecutive 3-pointers to trim the deficit to 16-14 with 5:50 remaining in the first half. Dawson countered with back-to-back treys, pushing the lead to 22-14 and both teams matched buckets the rest of the way as Midfield held a 30-22 lead at the halftime break.

Hillcrest-Evergreen outrebounded the Patriots in the first half 21-12, but were unable to keep pace on glass in the final 16 minutes.

“There were a lot of 50-50 balls that we did not get and it killed us on the rebounding battle,” Midfield coach Courtney Jones said. “They (Hillcrest-Evergreen) got a lot of second-chance shots and that’s what kept them in the game early on. When we get stops, let’s get the rebound.”

Midfield opened the second half with a 9-3 run as Baldwin took control of the backboard and scored five points during the four-minute stretch. The Jaguars were held to one made field goal early in the third period, before hitting a 5:09 scoring drought and finishing 3-of-8 from the field for the quarter.

Entering the final period with a 16-point lead, the Patriots kept the foot on the gas and Dawson drained three more 3-pointers to keep Hillcrest-Evergreen far from arm’s reach.

Star of the Game: Dawson. The 5-foot-11 senior finished with a game-high 24 points, along with two rebounds and three steals, and was almost automatic in finishing 8-for-11 from the field – all from 3-point range. His ability to make the open shot on the kick-out helped Midfield build a first-half lead the Patriots would not lose and enabled his teammates to find success throughout the second half.

“He’s one of the best shooters I’ve ever coached,” Jones said. “When he’s making shots, it opens things up. We go into our two-guard set and spread the court – that leaves gaps everywhere. We’re a hard team once he’s making shots.”

Stat sheet: Midfield – Baldwin produced a double-double for the Patriots, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, and Shannon Jones finished with 13 points, five boards, five assists and four steals with no turnovers in the game. Hillcrest-Evergreen – Stallworth led the Jaguars with 14 points, adding four rebounds with seven turnovers, and Simpson had 12 points, six boards and five blocks. Christian Locke finished with five points, three rebounds and three assists and Jacob Bradley contributed six points. Victor Taylor and Jamir Sharp combined for five points while grabbing five rebounds each.

By the numbers: Midfield finished shooting 46.2 percent from the field – 44.4 percent on 3-pointers – and was 11-for-16 at the foul line. Despite being minus-3 on the glass for the game, the Patriots were plus-6 on rebounding in the second half and forced 15 turnovers that resulted in 22 points. The Jaguars shot 43.1 percent from the field overall and 30 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

Did you know? Midfield advances to the state title game for the second time in four years during Courtney Jones’ five-year tenure leading the program. Current Pinson Valley coach Darrell Barber led the Patriots to three state titles and Midfield won its first championship in 1984 under Bill Crenshaw.

Coachspeak: “Big shout out to Hillcrest-Evergreen. They’re well-coached, they play very hard and gave us problems, especially in the rebounding battle. For them to be here and the route that took to get here shows a lot to their coach.” – Midfield’s Courtney Jones

“I’m proud of my young men and how they played. We didn’t play our type of basketball tonight. We have a good group of young guys so the bulk of the team is coming back and we will be back in the final four next year. And the year after that. And the year after that.” – Hillcrest-Evergreen’s Terean Pinkney

They said it: “When Dalvin started making shots, he opened up the court. They’re not focused on me then.” – Baldwin

“This is my second appearance in the state tournament. Everybody really doubted us and said we would not be here without the other two seniors that left last year. This is a big compliment for all of us and an accomplishment for everybody.” – Jones

What’s next? Midfield advances to face either Plainview or Sumter Central in the Class 3A title game at 2:15 p.m. Friday at BJCC’s Legacy Arena.