JACKSON – It wasn’t the infamous background of the Big House that ended Hinds AHS’ season. Nor was it any one play, moment or performance.

In the end, it simply wasn’t the Lady Bulldogs’ day and ultimately, not their year.

Coahoma County’s Michelyn O’Donnell scored 11 of her game-high 17 points in the fourth quarter and the Lady Panthers outscored Hinds AHS 15-4 in the last six minutes Tuesday to earn a 47-37 win and a trip to the Class 2A girls’ championship game.

Coahoma will play Philadelphia on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Hinds AHS, meanwhile, ended one of the best seasons in school history with a 33-3 record and cast an eye toward next season.

Hinds AHS only has three seniors on the roster, none of them starters. Junior Jerrica Thomas finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and three steals on Tuesday and leads a loaded group that should be a favorite to return to the Mississippi Coliseum next year.

&#8220Thirty-three and three, that’s excellent. I know a lot of people coach for a long time and never win 30 games, so I am proud of them,” Hinds AHS coach Bruce Baker said. &#8220Hopefully we can put it together and add some young players to it and get back here next year. We know what it’s about now. The experience thing is good. We just have to take that next step of going to the state championship game.”

The flow of the game resembled an early November contest between two mediocre teams more than a state semifinal.

The teams combined for more turnovers (18) than points (13) in the first quarter and made only 12 of 48 shots between them in the first half. Three of those were 3-pointers by Coahoma in the second quarter, helping it erase a modest six-point lead by Hinds and tie the game at 18 at halftime.

In the second half, however, the Lady Panthers came out on fire. They hit five of their first seven shots and opened the third quarter with a 10-3 run that gave them a 28-21 lead with 3:45 to play.

Hinds clawed back, and eventually went ahead 33-32 on two quick baskets by Thomas at the 6-minute mark of the fourth quarter. That turned out to be the Lady Bulldogs’ last gasp, though.

Good defense by Coahoma and poor shot selection caught up to Hinds right as O’Donnell started heating up. The Coahoma senior hit a quick jumper to put her team back in front, and Tanesha Washington added another to make it 36-33 with 5:38 to play.

&#8220The second half, I knew I had to step it up a little,” O’Donnell said. &#8220We came in at halftime, and this being my last year I knew I had to pump them up. I’m ready to get my ring before I leave out of here.”

O’Donnell added three more field goals and three free throws down the stretch as Coahoma pulled away. Although Hinds only trailed by five points, 42-37, with a little over a minute left, the Lady Bulldogs started jacking up awkward 3-pointers that hit everything but the net. Hinds was 0-for-7 from 3-point range in the game, and 5-for-21 from the field overall in the fourth quarter.

&#8220They switched defenses on us and started playing more aggressive on (Iyuanna Brown) and sagging off on the rest of our players, and that kind of threw us for a loop for a minute. We didn’t make the adjustment,” Baker said. &#8220We were down five and just throwing up shots. It didn’t work out for us because we didn’t have any fluidity going within the game.”