By Stan Caldwell/Sports Writer

JACKSON — Third time proved to be the charm for the Pascagoula boys, but it didn’t come easy.

Nevertheless, the Panthers will be back at Mississippi Coliseum Thursday night to play for a state championship after holding off Callaway 53-51 in overtime Monday afternoon in the Class 6A Final Four.

Pascagoula (26-6) will face Terry at 8 p.m. Thursday in the state finals. The Bulldogs knocked off defending 6A state champion Canton 63-53 in the other 6A semifinal. Callaway finished its season 17-17.

It marks just the second trip ever to the state title tilt for PHS, and first in 49 years, since 1977.

“They didn’t make it easy, man,” said ‘Goula coach Lorenzo Wright, whose team had fallen short in the semifinals the past two seasons.

(Callaway) is really good, typical Jackson team, really tough defensively, so I knew it was going to be a battle. Good win for us.”

The Panthers won despite some tight-collar moments in the fourth quarter, when the Chargers rallied from eight points down in the third quarter to tie it up 39-39 on a layup by Callaway’s Jaylen James with 13.1 seconds left in regulation.

“We missed some shots there, and a few free throws we should have made,” said Pascagoula senior Blake Nettles, who led the Panthers with 12 points, 17 rebounds and 4 assists. “We just had to fight through it.”

‘Goula started strong, opening up an early 11-4 lead, as the Panthers got what they wanted offensively in the first quarter. Senior Jacob Griffin got it started with a 3-point shot, then his twin brother Adam added another 3-ball.

“Our coach preaches, ‘attack the basket, attack the basket, attack the basket,’” said Nettles. “We were able to do that early, then they switched on us and we had to adjust.”

The Panthers led 16-8 after the first quarter, but the Chargers opened the second quarter with seven unanswered points, and their defense adjusted.

“We got what we wanted early, but they switched to a zone, slowed us up a bit, and we got stagnant on offense,” said Wright. “We got a little frustrated, and picked up some silly fouls early on. But they fought hard and we were able to maintain the lead.”

The Panthers led 23-21 at halftime, but Callaway opened the third quarter with a pair of foul shots to tie the game 23-23. Then Adam Griffin stepped up on back-to-back possessions to help the Panthers regain the advantage.

“We weren’t shooting it too well in the first half,” said Jacob Griffin, who finished with 11 points. “We came out in the second half, got to the rack, then the shots were open. I’ve been shooting these shots all season, and they just went in.”

A big key for Pascagoula was rebounding. The Panthers had 45 boards, 24 on the defensive glass, and that limited the Chargers to one shot on many of their possessions.

“Man, we knew we needed to rebound,” said Adam Griffim. “We’re not that big inside. We do have a 6-8 coming off the bench, but that’s coming off the bench. “We just knew we had to rebound as a team.”

The fourth quarter was a nightmare for the Panthers, and only tenacious interior defense kept them afloat. ‘Goula scored just three points in the fourth quarter, and the Chargers chipped away at a 36-30 deficit to start the period.

Worse for the Panthers, Nettles fouled out with 18.8 seconds left in regulation, and they had to play overtime without their leading scorer.

Pascagoula took a quick two-point lead as overtime got underway, but Braxton Ward hit a 3-point shot to give Callaway its first lead of the game 42-41, then after a steal, Shamarr Cameron got a steal and a fast break slam.

That gave the Chargers a 44-41 lead, but on the ensuing inbounds play, Cameron was called for a technical foul for taunting. Adam Griffin swished both free throws, then he buried a 3-ball from the left wing for a five-point play and the lead.

“Free throws sealed the deal for us tonight,” said Wright. “The technical foul was big for us. That swung the momentum back to us. Instead of having a three-point deficit, now we’re only down one, and we made some big free throws down the stretch.”

Callaway converted a three-point play on the ensuing possession to give the Chargers the lead again, and then converted one of two foul shots for a 48-46 edge.

But junior Marcus Cooper drove the baseline for a layup, then the Panthers got a steal and junior Ireyion Harvey took it to the hole for another layup to give ‘Goula the lead for good.

Jacob Griffin’s two foul shots with 13.1 seconds remaining gave Pascagoula a 53-49 lead, enough to weather a last-second shot from Callaway.

Free throws are a big part of the game,” said Griffin. “We work on them every day in practice, so it wasn’t that crazy. I just had to knock them down.”

Terry (25-8) is no stranger to the Panthers, as they have had to go through the Bulldogs in the postseason each of the past four seasons.

“We’ve had Tery as long as I can remember,” said Wright. “They do a great job with their team. We’ve played each other the last four years now, so they’re not strangers.”