The Valley boys basketball team may be no more after this season due to consolidation, but a happy tune is in the air following its first win in the state tournament.

Dueling Dooley’s.

Denali Dooley got the hard work done and Cam’Ron Dooley added a bit of flash as the eighth-ranked Rams held off a third-period rally and cruised to a 70-51 victory over No. 6 Scottsboro in Wednesday’s Class 5A boys semifinal at Birmingham’s BJCC Legacy Arena.

Valley (32-0) got things rolling with a Denali Dooley tip-in in the first minute and trailed for the only time in the game following a 3-pointer from Scottsboro’s Seth Whitmire with 5:32 remaining in the opening period. The Rams did not allow another made field goal in the quarter and Jay Harper kicked off a 13-0 run on consecutive 3-pointers to give the Rams a 15-3 advantage heading into the second period.

The Wildcats fared much better before halftime, hitting six made field goals and closing out the period on a 7-2 run. Tyson Sexton opened the scoring for Scottsboro, draining his first 3-pointer of the game, and three Whitmire layups and another Sexton trey trimmed the deficit to 10 points entering the halftime break.

Scottsboro’s Kyle Wright got the second half started with a 3-pointer in the first 12 seconds, matched by a trio of free throws from (Cam’Ron) Dooley, and Sexton reeled off nine consecutive points to ignite a 13-2 run that saw the Wildcats take only their second lead of the game.

Valley called a timeout to gather itself and closed the third period with a 14-0 run in the final three minutes, taking a 46-33 lead into the final frame.

The Wildcats trimmed the deficit to as low as nine points in the fourth period but could not defend pinpoint free-throw shooting from Valley in the last five minutes. The Rams ended the game on a 17-7 run and went 13-for-16 from the charity stripe during the final stretch.

Star(s) of the Game: The Dooley’s. Denali produced a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, and Cam’Ron finished with a game-high 22 points, along with seven boards.

Stat sheet: Valley – Jamarious Martin had 15 points, four rebounds and four assists, followed by Ian Crim-Davis with nine points and three assists. Jay Harper and Brandon Thomas scored six points each, the latter adding 14 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Scottsboro – Sexton led the Wildcats with 20 points and five boards, followed by Whitmire with 12 points, four boards and three assists. Parker Bell finished with nine points and six rebounds.

By the numbers: The Rams were 37 percent overall from the field, 39.1 percent on 3-pointers and 21-for-28 at the charity stripe. Valley earned a plus-22 edge in rebounding and held the Wildcats to 1-of-12 from the field in the first period before finishing 19-for-39 overall.

Did you know? Valley advances to its first state title game and is one win shy of completing a perfect season. The Rams made three consecutive appearances in the state tournament from 1985-1987 and back-to-back trips in 2000 and 2001.

“I graduated from Valley High School in 1992,” Valley coach Marshon Harper said. “Blood, sweat and tears. I bleed blue and orange and for us to win a state title, means the world to me. We’ve got to win the state title. If we win the state title, the whole community will be on fire.”

Coachspeak: “Hats off to Scottsboro, they’re an unbelievable team. I just tell my team, great job. 32-0. 32-0. Kids have bought in and they’ve been doing an unbelievable job all year. Seniors been leading, have some juniors, and proud of my guys.” — Harper

“I tip my cap to Valley. They played well. Going into the game, our goal was to keep them out of the paint and force them to shoot 3s. They made us pay. We had to get out of our zone and go man. It just wasn’t our night. Win or lose, these are my guys and I love them.” — Scottsboro’s Jason Bell

They said it: “Coach and I talked at halftime. He said I had only three points in the first half. I had to step up in the second half.” — (Cam’Ron) Dooley

“It’s really special knowing that we can come up here to Birmingham and put on for our city. It feels good.” — (Denali) Dooley

“It’s really exciting. Winning that game and knowing you’re going to a state championship, being with my teammates means everything.” — Martin

What’s next? Valley will face Charles Henderson in the Class 5A title game at 10:45 a.m. Saturday in Birmingham’s BJCC Legacy Arena.