Dread it or face it, the Hazel Green girls basketball team still arrives all the same.

The top-ranked Trojans faced a double-digit deficit in the first half, but rallied for a 52-38 victory over No. 3 Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa in Wednesday’s Class 6A state semifinal at the BJCC’s Legacy Arena.

“I wasn’t our best first half, but I thought Hillcrest played really well,” Hazel Green coach Tim Miller said. “Made a few defensive adjustments. We felt like once the game settled in, we would be OK. They finally started missing some threes and we got some rebounds and the lead. That’s what a final four game is supposed to look like.”

Hazel Green (29-4) fell behind quickly as the Patriots caught fire from 3-point range and surged to a 16-6 lead at the end of the opening period. Blakeley Nixon knocked down the first triple to give Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa a 6-2 lead almost midway through the quarter and ignited a string of consecutive 3-pointers from herself, Jareah Branch and Trinity Braggs.

The Trojans held Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa scoreless for 6:05 between the first and second periods and cut the lead to 16-11 on a 5-0 spurt to open the second quarter. Braggs knocked down another triple and a long-range two to push the advantage to 21-13 with 2:17 left in the half, but Leah Brooks added a pair of free throws to trim the halftime advantage to 21-17 in favor of the Patriots.

Hazel Green allowed a quick bucket to open the second half, but hit a 7-0 run and took its first lead of the game at 24-23 on a 3-pointer from Zyriah Price with 5:27 left remaining in the third period.

“I really wanted to pass the ball,” Price said. “Nobody was open so I just shot it.”

Branch put up her second 3-pointer of the game to give the lead back to the Patriots and tied it up 28-all on a pair of free throws with 2:32 left in the quarter. Price scored the final 3 points in lifting lift Hazel Green to a 31-28 lead entering the final period.

Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (27-8) went only 6-of-23 from the field in the second half – only 3-of-13 from 3-point range after starting 5-for-7 in the first half – and never truly threatened after pulling within a single point at 33-32 on a Nixon tip-in early in the fourth quarter.

Kristen Johnson jump-started a 15-3 game-clinching run on a 3-pointer, following a layup to open the fourth quarter, and Sydney Stewart and Amiya Redus sealed the comeback for the Trojans with a 6-for-6 showing at the foul line in the final two minutes.

Star of the game: Brooks. The senior University of Alabama signee posted a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds and added 3 assists, a block and a steal. She was 4-of-8 from the field and 4-of-6 at the foul line and came down with a key offensive rebound late in the final period to secure possession amid a 9-0 run.

Stat sheet: Hazel Green – Johnson and Price tied for a team-high 13 points, combining on 8 rebounds, and Redus had 8 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Sydney Steward contributed 4 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa – Branch led the Patriots with a game-high 15 points on 4-of-10 shooting and 3-of-3 from 3-point range, adding 3 rebounds and 2 steals to her line. Nixon finished with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, and Braggs had 8 points and 5 rebounds. Nyeishia Davis and Briyana Turner combined for 7 points with the latter adding 4 rebounds and 2 blocks.

By the numbers: The Trojans shot 50 percent overall and were 14-of-19 at the foul line while holding Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa to 32.5 percent from the field. Hazel Green enjoyed a plus-7 advantage on the glass, but allowed the Patriots to score 15 points off 13 turnovers.

Did you know? Hazel Green advances to a record eighth straight championship game, where the Trojans have won six straight titles.

Coachspeak: “Our girls have been in several games like this already this year. Whatever happened in this game, it’s over and let’s go to the next one. They understand what’s at stake and what they’re supposed to do. They’re a veteran group and they’ve been here before.” – Hazel Green’s Tim Miller

“Happy for this team and this program. Coming here two years in a row is a testament to this program and how hard they work and the hunger to continue to be as consistent as possible. We had a good game plan, we executed and the ball didn’t bounce our way sometimes.” – Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa’s Nick Browder

They said it: “We never give up. We keep pushing and lifting each other up. We knew it was a tough game going on but we kept scoring, boxing out and rebounding.” – Brooks

“Our teammates lift you up, even if you’re playing bad or doing something wrong. They encourage us when you need it most.” – Kristen Johnson

“We have to be patient with each other and stick together.” – Zyriah Price

Next Up: Hazel Green advances to face either No. 5 Huffman or No. 4 Park Crossing in the Class 6A title game at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday at the BJCC’s Legacy Arena.