Sherri Cooley’s first year as Laurel’s head girls basketball coach yields the program's first trip to the Final Four of MHSAA 5A basketball.

Junior guard Zoey Cooley’s layup with 18 seconds left did it.

"All that was on my mind was making it to Jackson, make it to the Final Four," said the senior guard. "I want to get my coach and my team a ring."

Tied 51-51, Cooley ran down a half-court pass just ahead of her and, with a few dribbles, made her way to the basket. Her layup fell in perfectly.

Some 13 seconds later, at the 5.5 mark, a Jim Hill turnover near mid-court cut through the suspense and began the real celebration.

“I told myself, we are about to win,” said Cooley of the moment she saw Jim Hill’s pass go out of bounds. “We’re going to Jackson.”

Laurel beat Jim Hill 53-51 Saturday night at Pearl River Community College in the 5A quarterfinals.

"This is a great feeling," said Coach Cooley. "These girls have worked so hard. They deserve this. It's an unbelievable feeling."

The Lady Tornadoes (17-15) will face Columbus (24-4) in the semifinals on Tuesday at the Jackson Coliseum. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m.

"I've always felt like they [could reach this point]," said Coach Cooley. "I don't know if they've felt that way, but I've had confidence in them when I first came over. We have the talent; we just needed the belief that we could do it.

“We started to put things together towards the end of the season. It came at the right time.”

Cooley led Laurel with 20 points Saturday night. “I tell Cooley all the time,” said Coach Cooley, “who can stay in front of you. You can take it to the basket anytime you want.”

Teammate India Singleton finished in double-digits too with 11.

Baskets were few in the early going. Laurel lead 4-2 at the four-minute point of the first period. Jim Hill finished two points better in the final four minutes to tie the score at 11-apiece.

A pair of free throws by sophomore guard Manaca Keyes late in the second period sent Laurel to the locker room leading 21-19.

Laurel led by six twice early in the third, but a 9-0 run by Jim Hill late turned momentum away from the Lady Tornadoes.

"We got late into the third and started to make some turnovers," Coach Cooley said. "I subbed out Zoey [Cooley] because she was a little winded. I wanted to give her a break. She was our ball-handler, so that might have led to a few of the turnovers. But she needed the rest more."

With the rest, Cooley and the Lady Tornadoes fought back in the final period.

A jump shot by Singleton with 3:50 left put Laurel ahead 47-45. Three lead changes later, two free throws by Jim Hill under a minute left tied the score at 51-apiece.

Cooley then dribbled and shot Laurel to victory.

"Tonight said a lot about our team," said the Laurel coach. "It was a problem we had early in the season. Before, when we'd get down a few points, we'd quit. We worked on that and talked about how the game isn't over. We have to keep playing through things. Turnovers and missed rebounds and layups, we have to continue to play through it. Once we decided to do that, we've come back with some wins lately."

Laurel entered the Region 5-5A Tournament as the No. 3 seed. Now they’re Jackson bound.

Note:

Laurel boys fall to Forest Hill by a large margin, 84-40, Saturday night in the 5A quarterfinals. Laurel finishes the season, 19-11.