It’s been an emotional two years for the Pinson Valley basketball program.

On Saturday, the Indians will try to end it with a state title.

No. 4 Pinson outscored McGill-Toolen 25-8 in the final quarter, pulling away for a 56-37 victory Wednesday afternoon the Class 6A state semifinals.

Darrell Barber’s Indians will play either Gadsden City or Paul Bryant for the school’s second state basketball title at 2:15 p.m. Saturday. Pinson Valley’s run to the championship game comes just 17 months after star point guard Caleb White died after collapsing at the school as his senior year was just beginning.

“To know him was to love him,” an emotional Barber said after Wednesday’s victory. “He was a special kid. He was on a mission that year. To watch a player lose his life in front of you – that was tough. This group this year is a testament to who Caleb was.”

Pinson Valley improved to 22-8 and will try to add to the school’s 2019 state title on Saturday. The Indians were in a tight game with McGill most of the way, leading just 8-7 after one quarter, 21-17 at the half and 31-29 after three.

However, Pinson took over in the fourth, scoring the first seven points and 18 of the first 23. The Indians led 49-34 after Jalen Pritchett’s reverse layup, and the Yellow Jackets (22-9) didn’t get closer than 13 the rest of the way.

“We knew if they ever got a six or eight-point lead, they would milk the clock,” McGill coach Phillip Murphy said. “No. 4 (Woo Coner), No. 2 (Quay Lynch) and No. 3 (Pritchett) are really good with the basketball. They forced us to come out of our zone. Their guard play was the difference. Those guys can pass through traps and scrambles and finish on the back end.”

McGill’s season-long offensive struggles continued in Birmingham. The Yellow Jackets shot just 26.7 percent from the field (12-of-45) and 15.8 percent from 3 (3-of-19). Pinson, meanwhile, was 20-of-41 from the field. The Indians also struggled from deep, going 2-of-15 from 3.

“We shot a bunch of shots in practice, a bunch of free throws,” Murphy said of his team’s preparation for the semifinal game. “We were hammering, hammering, hammering. Yesterday, we probably shot 300 3s. We were trying. It just wasn’t there this year.”

Pinson’s combination of Coner and Lynch proved too much for McGill to handle. Coner, who Barber referred to as the 6A Player of the Year, finished with a game-high 19 points. He also had 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Lynch had 11 points, including a crucial 3 that started Pinson’s stellar fourth quarter.

Star of the game: It was clearly Coner. He was 5-of-10 from the field and 9-of-11 from the foul line.

Stat sheet: Pinson Valley – Jamarcus “Smoke” Thomas finished with 9 points and 11 rebounds. McGill-Toolen – Andrew Murchison led the way with 14 points and 7 rebounds. Grayson Brower had 10 points and 4 rebounds.

By the numbers: Pinson Valley had a 28-18 advantage in points off turnovers and a 19-6 edge in fastbreak points. The Indians also won the rebounding battle against a taller McGill team, 31-25.

“We barely have a guy who is 6-3 on the roster,” Barber said. “All year, everyone has been bigger than us. For our guys to go out and continue to battle the way they do means the world to me.”

Did you know? The Indians will play in the last Class 6A game of the season despite losing another star, Clyde Walters, to transfer in October. Walters moved to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire.

“When he left, I think it forced guys to take on different roles. Woo asserted himself. Quay stepped up. These guys have believed all year long. They don’t care who gets the credit. In 16 years, this is my favorite group I’ve coached.” – Barber on Walters’ departure.

They said it:

“We’ve heard everything under the sun about what we couldn’t do. I’m extremely proud of these guys.” – Barber.

“We went 1-9 in football, so I had to come in and make a name for myself in basketball.” – Smoke Thomas.

“We struggled all season offensively, but I’ve been playing with these guys since second grade. Defense has always been our calling card. This year, today, doesn’t mean we ever gave up or started letting them get easy buckets. We always play hard and play defense no matter what happens on offense. That’s what got us here.” – McGill’s Ethan Stokes.