Jacksonville put Hale County on the ropes early Tuesday night with an 18-0 run to start the game and powered into the finals of the AHSAA 4A state championship tournament for the second straight year with a dominant 82-46 victory.

The Golden Eagles (28-6) clamped down defensively in the second period, limiting the Wildcats (17-13) to just three points in the quarter and holding them scoreless over the last 6:14 of the half as the Golden Eagles jumped out to a 41-10 lead.

RELATED: Rewinding Tuesday’s semifinal action

RELATED: Westminster cruises into final

Four Jacksonville players finished in double digits, led by senior guard John Broom, who scored 18 on 6-for-10 shooting from the floor and went 4-for-6 from three-point range. Devin Barksdale had 15 points and Caden Johnson scored 14, while Cam Johnson pumped in 9.

The victory gives Jacksonville a chance to repeat as 4A state champions.

“This is a team that won it last year, but this is not the same team,” said Jacksonville coach Tres Buzan. “They’re a completely new team, and they’re here again. That’s a credit to our guys. They work hard. They put in the work, and I couldn’t be more proud of them than to see them win a game today and be in the final on Friday.”

For the Wildcats, that initial 18-0 run was a dagger to the heart.

“I’ve been coaching for a while. When you’re young, when you’ve got youth, what you most need is experience,” said Hale County coach Antwan Butler. “It was a bigger stage. We hadn’t been here before. We came out real flat.”

For Broom, a senior South Alabama signee, the scouting report from his coaches was just what the Golden Eagles needed to impose their will on Hale County from the jump.

“The 18-0 run was amazing,” Broom said. “We all came out with great defense, with great energy … our coaches did a great job with the scout and we jumped on them.”

Star of the Game: Jacksonville’s Broom, who netted a double-double with 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting and 4-of-6 from beyond the three-point arc, and added 10 rebounds.

Stat Sheet: Jacksonville was dominant inside the paint, putting up 40 points from close range. Hale County managed just 18 in the key.

By the Numbers: Jacksonville shot 56 percent from the floor, going 33-of-59 overall and 12-of-25 from three-point range. If there was a hole in the Golden Eagles’ game, it was at the free-throw line, where they went 4-for-9. Jacksonville outrebounded Hale County 42-25 and was dominant on the defensive boards in particular, with a 27-14 advantage.

Did You Know? Jacksonville senior forward Ethan Duke set the tone defensively for the Golden Eagles, drawing three charges in the first half to stop potential scoring opportunities for the Wildcats.

They said it: “When I got this job and we had that first team meeting, I was surrounded by great players. I kinda explained myself to them and told them what our goal was, and our goal was to be right here. I’m just blessed.” — Buzan

“No one expected us to be here except the coaches. We’ve got a great group of guys that worked hard all year … we played a real tough team today.” — Butler

Next up: Jacksonville faces another set of Wildcats, as they take on top-ranked Westminster Christian in the AHSAA 4A state finals at 5:45 p.m. on Friday at the BJCC Legacy Arena.