Vigor coach Jairus Jackson wanted his team to relax on the eve of the Class 5A state basketball semifinals, so he took them out to Topgolf.

It certainly worked for Terrel Johnson.

The senior scored 17 points in the first quarter Wednesday night on the way to a game-high 33 and the fourth-ranked Wolves held off Guntersville 75-70 at Birmingham’s Legacy Arena to earn a shot at the school’s first boys state basketball title.

“Last year, we made it to the Sweet 16 and lost to Charles Henderson,” Johnson said. “We weren’t ready. This year, we came back, and I just wanted to give it 100 percent mentally on every play.”

Johnson was 12-of-20 from the field, 3-of-6 from 3-point range and 6-of-12 from the foul line. He also added 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and a pair of steals.

He was almost matched by Guntersville’s Jackson Porch, who nailed six 3-pointers and finished with 26. However, a 9-2 Vigor run late in the fourth quarter was enough to send the Wolves to a matchup with No. 1 Fairfield on Saturday.

“I just want to give a big thank you to my players,” Jackson said. “They deserve it. They’ve worked so hard to get here. I wanted this for them.”

Vigor led for most of the game and pushed the lead to 13, 53-40, with 3:22 left in the third quarter. However, Porch drained a long 3 at the end of the period to cut the advantage to 55-48, and it was a gut check the rest of the way.

“We talked about sustaining leads and doing a better job of holding on when we had a lead,” Jackson said. “We knew Guntersville was very dangerous. No. 14 (Porch) made a 3 from the star on the floor. I saw him take that and I was like, Ok, I’m good there.’ I was banking on him missing it. He didn’t.”

Guntersville (20-11) eventually cut the deficit to just one, 63-62, on Porch’s drive to the basket with 3:47 left in the game. However, Vigor’s Aslan Jones scored on a putback, and Johnson stole the ball and made a layup to push the margin back to 67-62 with 3:06 left.

“We had it within one and called a timeout,” Guntersville coach Brett Self said. “I knew we had to get a stop. But they got a basket and then we turned it over and the next thing you know it’s a five-point game. Vigor makes you pay for turnovers, and that’s what they did tonight.”

The Wolves had trouble sealing the win from the line, making just 17-of-35 foul shots overall, but grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds off missed free throws in the final 2:25 to gain needed possessions and hold on for the victory.

“We prepared for moments like this,” Jackson said. “We knew it would be a boxing match, back and forth. Once we gained an advantage, we depended on our defense. We got some big stops, got some turnovers and made some layups.”

Star of the game: No question it was Johnson from start to finish.

Stat sheet: Vigor – Aslan Jones was the only other player in double figures with 11 points. Al Holcombe had 9 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Guntersville – Treyvon Avery had 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. CJ Scott scored 11. Cam Logan had 9.

By the numbers: The teams combined to commit 51 fouls and shoot 63 free throws. … Vigor outrebounded Guntersville 34-31. The Wolves had 15 offensive rebounds.

Coachspeak:

“I know how much pressure is in this game. I didn’t want to bog them down. I wanted them to relax, go to Topgolf and hit a few golf balls and just breath. We are all human. It’s going to be OK no matter what. I wanted them to know that.” – Jackson on taking the team out Tuesday night.

They said it:

“I want to take the state championship back to Prichard. That’s all I want.” – Jones.

“We battled. We just had a few too many mistakes with turnovers and rebounding, but we put ourselves in position. I told our guys that I’m sad it’s over, but I’m glad it happened.” – Self.

Next up: No. 4 Vigor will battle No. 1 Fairfield at 10:45 a.m. Saturday for the Class 5A state title.

“Today was the first time I’ve seen them in person,” Jackson said of Fairfield. “They remind me a lot of ourselves. They don’t have a 6-7 or 6-8 guy. I like the motor they have. I like how they played the state champs from last year and didn’t back down. To win championships, you have to go get it and they went and got it.”