R.C. Hatch will play for state title No. 11 on Thursday afternoon.

The No. 9-ranked Bobcats placed four players in double figures, got a pair of late breakaway baskets in the final seconds and knocked off No. 3 Oakwood Academy 65-61 in the Class 1A semifinals at Legacy Arena on Monday.

They will play No. 8 Brantley for the championship at 5:45 p.m. Thursday. The Bulldogs defeated Hubbertville in the first semifinal game.

“Special shoutout to these guys,” R.C. Hatch coach Kris Hood said. “They said at the beginning of the season they wanted to win a state championship. It’s been since 2008 since we won one. I’m glad the guys bought in, and we are here again.”

The Bobcats won state titles in 1978, 1985, 1987, 1994, 1995, 2003, 2004 and three straight from 2006-2008. They got a stern test Monday from the upstart Mustangs, who were looking for their first title.

R.C. Hatch (23-4) took their largest lead of the game at 52-41 on two free throws by Isaiah Thomas and a buzzer tip-in by Merion Jones at the end of the third quarter. Jones finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Thomas, who played crucial minutes with 4 fouls, finished with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

Oakwood (25-9) battled back. The Eagles opened the final quarter on a 16-6 run.Jaiden Morton’s 3-pointer brought Oakwood within 58-57 with 2:25 left to play.

“The main thing was I told our guys not to panic,” Hood said. “We were down 11 to start the fourth quarter in our last game. I got kind of nervous to be honest today, but I had a feeling we would pull it out.”

After R.C. Hatch’s LaVonte Witherspoon and Oakwood’s Austin Germono exchanged 3-point baskets, the Bobcats led just 61-60. Frederick Wilson’s layup bumped the advantage to 63-60, but Germono was fouled shooting a 3 on the other end with 8.9 seconds left.

He made just one of the three free throws. His team was just 6-of-15 from the foul line overall.

Hatch’s Theotis Dudley ended the game with a dunk on the other end.

“I’m not surprised,” Thomas said of the win. “We’ve been working hard all year to get here. Now, we just have to go out and take it on Thursday.”

Star of the game: Jones was the engine for R.C. Hatch. He was 9-of-22 from the field and was able to consistently get to the basket when his team needed a bucket.

Stat sheet: R.C. Hatch – Dudley finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 8 blocked shots. He also had 3 assists and 2 steals. Wilson also scored 12 points; Oakwood – Germono had 22 points on 9-of-20 shooting. Dylon Pognon had 22 points and 10 rebounds. Morton chipped in 8 points.

By the numbers: R.C. Hatch was 27-of-60 from the field, 4-of-10 from 3-point range and 7-of-9 from the foul line. Oakwood was 25-of-31 from the field, 5-of-18 from 3 and just 6-of-15 from the foul line. The teams combined to score 86 points in the paint. R.C. Hatch had a 23-14 edge in fastbreak points.

Did you know? R.C. Hatch sophomore Theotis Dudley is the nephew of former Alabama star Erwin Dudley.

Did you know 2? R.C. Hatch’s Isaiah Thomas was 1 the last time his school won a state title.

“I didn’t realize these guys were so young or maybe I’m just old,” Hood said.

The said it:

“We expected a dogfight. This is the final four. Everyone is fighting for their lives. The better team today came out on top.” – Oakwood coach Jarrett Swain.

“I changed the defense up a little and simply told them in the huddle that this is it. Leave it all on the court for eight minutes. Walk off the court saying you gave it your all.” – Swain on what he said to rally his team at the end of the third quarter.

“Brotherhood, friendship, love. It’s something you just don’t get. We play together. We play as one. If one of us doesn’t win, we all don’t win.” – an emotional Germono on what he gained from the season.