Plainview coach Robi Coker is a self-proclaimed man of few words in the huddle, but staring down a 10-point hole almost halfway through the opening period required a much-needed timeout.

“Catch your breath and relax,” Coker told his team during the break. “Be you – no one is going to make a 7-pointer. Stay the course and we’ll figure this out.”

The third-ranked Bears rallied with an 11-0 run and fended off a second-half fury from No. 5 Sumter Central for a 55-41 in Tuesday’s Class 3A boys semifinal contest at Birmingham’s BJCC’s Legacy Arena.

“We threw that pregame speech in the garbage, we won’t do that one again,” Coker said. “What a start for them guys (Sumter County). I joke this group is unflappable. I didn’t want to call a timeout, they were making shots and we were missing the easy ones, but our guys did a great job of showing their resiliency and not panicking.”

Plainview (30-6) fell behind 9-0 on an explosive game-opening run by the Jaguars but eventually found pay dirt on a 5-0 spurt – ignited by a Jonah Williams 3-pointer – before closing out on a 7-2 run to pull within 17-12 at the end of the first quarter.

Sumter Central’s Emmanuel Clarton opened the game with a 3-pointer and mid-range jumper in the first minute of action, followed by Jonathan Finch and Dwayne Hudson pitching in on consecutive layups to push the Jaguars to a 9-0 lead before Plainview made a bucket.

The Jaguars countered with another shutout run to build its largest lead of the game at 15-5 with less than four minutes remaining in the period.

“They try to limit possessions,” Sumter County coach Jazmin Mitchell said. “We’re good on offense, too, so we went right at them and made the first punch.”

Both teams matched body blows early in the second period until Plainview’s Dylan Haymon bookended a 9-0 run to retake the lead more than midway through the second. Luke Smith extended the streak to 11 points on a dunk two minutes later giving the Bears a 27-24 halftime lead. Plainview held Sumter Central to one made field goal in the final five minutes of the half.

Plainview hopped out to a 7-2 run to open the second half, but the Jaguars cut it to 37-35 with a little more than a minute remaining in the third period. Williams drained a 3-pointer at exactly the one-minute mark on the ensuing possession, followed by missed pair of free throws by Hudson, and Smith added a layup at the buzzer to give the Bears a 42-35 lead entering the final period.

Sumter Central (27-6) came as close as eight points with 3:36 left in the game as the Bears finished out with an 8-2 run for the double-digit win.

Star of the Game: Haymon. The 6-foot senior finished tied for a game-high 15 points on 5-for-9 shooting – 3-of-6 from 3-point range – and collected three rebounds, three assists and three steals. He scored to start and finish a 9-0 run in the second period that saw the Bears take a lead it would not lose.

“They jumped on us early and we had to regroup. We focused on getting the ball, not getting split on defense and came together as a team. It worked out for us,” he said.

Stat sheet: Plainview – Williams also tied for a game-high 15 points, going 5-for-10 from the field with all 3-pointers, and Smith had 12 points and seven rebounds. White finished with 10 points, three boards, two blocks and two steals. Sumter Central – Finch led the Jaguars with 12 points, adding two rebounds and three assists and Clarton finished with 10 points, five rebounds and two steals. Hudson had eight points and six rebounds, followed by Brown with five points, three boards and two steals.

By the numbers: The Bears finished shooting 50 percent overall, 40 percent from 3-point range and were 7-for-10 at the foul line. Sumter County shot 43.9 percent from the field, but only 25 percent from beyond the arc.

Did you know? Plainview advances to its fifth title game appearance in the past seven years, owning an 8-1 record with the only loss coming to Midfield in the 2017 championship game.

Coachspeak: “Our defensive effort was really good, especially if you take away that first 70 seconds. This group knew what their goal was and now have an opportunity to play in the last game of the season.” – Plainview’s Robi Coker

“We’re glad to be here. Our kids had a great journey this year. The final four is something big and we take pride in. These guys gave me everything they had today and I’m proud of them. The county should be proud of them, the city should be proud of them and I know I’m proud of them.” – Sumter Central’s Mitchell

They said it: “They came out hot. They’re a good team. We had to keep taking good shots, not panic, and eventually, the shots would fall for us.” – Smith

“I’ve got a great coach that gets me better each week. I know how to help this team and I have great teammates that do the same.” – White

What’s next? Plainview advances to face No. 2 Midfield in the Class 3A title game at 2:15 p.m. Friday at BJCC’s Legacy Arena.