It wasn’t looking good for defending Class 3A girls champ Trinity.

The Wildcats’ offense stagnated after leading scorer Francie Morris fouled out with 5:11 to play, and Clements seemed poise to pounce.

That’s when Trinity junior Maddie Smith made what coach Blake Smith — Maddie’s father — called “the play of the game.”

Smith drove past her defender and made a layup while getting fouled. Her old-fashioned three-point play with 2:16 remaining pushed the Wildcats’ lead to 39-32, and they held on for a 41-39 victory in Tuesday’s Class 3A state semifinal at the BJCC’s Legacy Arena.

“I knew when Francie fouled out I had to go get something,” Maddie Smith said.

Added Blake Smith, “She’s the mad dog. She carries the load, (and) I don’t just mean scoring. She does it for the team. She’s the glue. That play, that was all her. Yeah, I think that was the play of the game.”

Final sequence: Trinity led 41-38 after Mya Moskowitz made 1-of-2 free throws with 16.3 seconds remaining. Clements point guard Leah Childress received the inbounds pass, dribbled up court and missed an off-balance 3-pointer.

The Colts grabbed the rebound and passed it back to Childress. She missed again, and Tay Tay Farrar rebounded and got fouled with 1 second remaining. She made the first throw, but intentionally missed the second for the final score of 41-39.

“We didn’t have a timeout, so there really wasn’t a plan,” Leah Childress said. “It was a ball screen. The first look was not a look I really wanted. I got it back, and it as one I could definitely make.”

Did you know? Trinity defeated Clements 52-48 in last year’s championship game, meaning the Colts ended the last two seasons at the BJCC – just shy of winning its first state title since 2010.

Stat sheet: Maddie Smith led Trinity with 15 points, and Morris added 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Moskowitz had 10 points and 5 rebounds. … For Clements, Farrar tallied 13 points and 5 rebounds. Leah Childress had 8 points, 4 assists and 3 steals.

By the numbers: Trinity made five of its first six shots to start the game, which negated the Colts’ stalling tactics. Clements held the ball for more than two minutes on its first possession in an effort to prevent Trinity from playing a zone defense. … Both teams has six assists. …. Both teams made 13 shots, but Trinity made one more 3-pointer and one more free throw.

Shot-clock friend: Blake Smith said the Colts’ strategy of holding the ball on its first possession is an example of why he supports the the AHSAA adopting a 35-second shot clock, which has been instituted in other states. “That’s the way to go,” he said,

Coachspeak: “We want to bring love and joy to any arena or floor we come to. It’s out of a love for each other and embracing Jesus’ love. These girls embrace it, and it’s a beautiful thing.” — Trinity’s Blake Smith

“We were fighting right down to the last second. … They held their composure. I mean, we were right there — one basket away.” — Clements coach Shane Childress

“To get these girls to believe, to believe they can achieve, and to see them grow and play on this stage, it’s been worth every minute of it.” — Shane Childress

What’s next? The victory sends Trinity into Friday’s championship game when the Wildcats can win a second straight title. Tip-off is set for Friday at 12:30 p.m.