By Stan Caldwell/Sports Writer

POPLARVILLE — Seber Windham’s retirement party will have to wait, because the Biloxi boys still have at least one more game left to play this season.

The Indians turned the game around in the second half, and fought past Meridian 50-39 Friday night in the quarterfinal round of the MHSAA Class 7A basketball playoffs at M.R. White Coliseum on the Pearl River Community College campus.

Biloxi (23-6) is back in Jackson for the 7A Final Four for the second consecutive season, and will face Starkville at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Mississippi Coliseum. Meridian finished its season 19-10.

“It’s always good to get a win over one of the greatest coaches in the state,” said Windham, who announced prior to the season that this would be his final year as head coach of the Indians.

“Ron Norman is one of my best friends, and I knew it was going to come down to me and him my last year, and that’s what happened. To go out with a chance to play in the Final Four is real special to me.”

This was a reunion of old friends, former teammates at William Carey University, and Wildcat coach Ron Norman paid tribute to Windham.

“All the credit goes to Seber Windham, my old friend and roommate,” said Norman. “I love him to death. There’s not a more deserving person, in his last year, to go out at the Final Four. Credit his team. They fought back and really got after us in that fourth quarter.”

And it was a master class in keeping a team afloat when it wasn’t playing well. The Indians struggled to score throughout the first half, hitting on just 6 of 22 shots (27.3 percent) from the field, and put up just 13 points for the first 16 minutes.

“I think it was 19-13, and I told our guys we were fortunate to be as close as we were,” said Windham. “Everybody’s talented in 7A, so it comes down to will and heart, and I thought my kids showed fight and the ability to grind.

“This is not the most talented Biloxi team I’ve had, but if you fight and stay together, good things happened, and they did for us tonight.”

Biloxi was that close because its defense made enough stops and the Indians made just enough shots to keep Meridian within striking distance. Senior Kentrell Beasley chipped in with a 3-point shot to foreshadow what was coming in the second half.

”We didn’t play very well in the first half,” Windham said. “We didn’t make any shots. But we’ve always got a run in us, and that run came at the right time for us.

“The key is when you’re not playing well, that’s the time you have to stick together the most, and you could see my guys are close, and they just stuck together when things weren’t going well, and they finally made their run.”

The second half didn’t immediately start out afire for the Indians, as they turned the ball over on steals with their first two possessions.

But the Wildcats only got one free throw out of those turnovers, and the Indians quickly found the range.

Senior Carnellous Lenard buried a 3-ball from the right wing, the Beasley took a steal for a fast-break layup, then converted a defensive board into another fast break, and just like that it was tied 20-20.

In all, Biloxi hit its first four shots from the floor in the third quarter, and were 8 of 11 shooting (72.7 percent) in the period.

“We talked about how we needed more energy, and how we needed to come back and win,” said Lenard. “I got a couple of good shots, a few stops; that built my confidence , and we won the game.

Meridian senior Jozyreun Horne got three-point play opportunities on back-to-back possessions, but failed to convert the and-one on both, with Lenard a layup on a drive down the lane sandwiched in between.

But Horne came down after a defensive stop and swished a 3-pointer from the left wing to put the Wildcats up 27-22 with 4:37 left in the third quarter.

“I don’t think we had a turnover in the fourth quarter, and that goes back to our senior point guard Trell Beasley,” Windham said. “He’s been really excellent for us down the stretch. Cornellous hit some big shots to get us back in the game.

“We’re just a scrappy bunch, who keeps fighting, and then we’ll see what happens in the fourth quarter.”

The Indians answered the call. Beasley swished a trey, then Lenard also converted a 3-ball as the two teams played through three ties and four lead changes through the remainder of the period, which ended with a 35-35 tie.

But the sixth – and final – lead change of the night came early in the fourth quarter when sophomore Ryan Adelphin nailed two of the biggest shots of the season, a pair of treys from the left wing to give Biloxi a 43-37 lead.

“We’ve played a really tough schedule, and so many tough fourth quarters like this, that we were prepared for this,” Windham said.

“When we get into a fourth quarter, or an overtime situation, I just tell the kids to go out and have fun. This is the best time, the fourth quarter of a big game, It’s what you work for all year. So don’t be scored of the moment, and have fun.”

Adelphin finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and five assists off the bench for the Indians. Lenard led all scorers with 18 points, and Beasley finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

And it was Beasley who converted 5 of 6 foul shots in the final minutes as the Indians pulled away in the final three minutes of play.

Horne had 13 points to lead Meridian.

“We just played together, stayed together as a team,” said Lenard. “We put together some plays, got a couple of defensive stops, and we were good.”