Kemper County’s Matt Dale loses the handle of a ball after going for a rebound over the top of a Velma Jackson player during the MHSAA Class 3A quarterfinals Friday at Jackson State.

JACKSON — When Kemper County High School won the 2016 Class 3A championship, it knocked Velma Jackson High School off the Class 3A state throne in the process. Fate would have it that the two teams should meet again this postseason.

 And just like last year’s state-title meeting, this year’s tilt was just as enthralling.

After four lead changes, four tied scores and enough energy to power the lights at Jackson State University’s Williams Assembly Center, Velma Jackson defeated Kemper County 44-40 in the Class 3A quarterfinals Friday night.

Kemper County’s (19-9) Ty Glaspie’s attempt at tying the game with less than 10 seconds left was swatted by a Velma Jackson player, ending the Wildcats’ comeback bid after Velma Jackson’s (25-6) Brandon Weatherspoon drained two free throws with six seconds remaining in the game to put the Falcons ahead by four points.

“Total heartbreak right now,” Kemper County head coach John Alan Darnell said. “I feel very disappointed for my boys, but we fought back after we got down by seven or eight points there in the fourth quarter.”

Kemper County trailed by seven points with 3:14 left in the contest before Glaspie knocked down two free throws with 2:52 remaining to whittle Velma Jackson’s lead to 38-33. Velma Jackson’s Jamuel Brooks hit a jumper with 14 seconds left to push the Falcons ahead 40-33. Malik Jones attempted a 3-pointer for the Wildcats and was whacked on the hand before the letting the ball go. Jones followed by making one of his three free-throw attempts to make the score 40-34 in Velma Jackson’s favor.

Jones knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:08 left in the game to cut the deficit to 40-37, and the Wildcats came within one point of taking the lead after Jones drained another 3-pointer with 33 seconds left — after Velma Jackson’s Nikolas Weatherspoon made one of two free throws — to make the score 41-40 in favor of the Falcons.

“They made one more play than we did,” Darnell said. “They blocked a shot from behind, and I bet they had five or six blocked shots under the rim that affected the game. Like I told my guys, they made one more play than we did. Games like this, when two great teams are playing against each other in a revenge game and stuff like that, I thought we took the best shot, and we had a chance to win.”

Matt Dale turned in a double-double behind 16 points and 10 rebounds. Gus Nave finished with 10 points, two assists and two steals.

After playing with the defending-champ targets on their backs the entire season, Nave said he didn’t expect the intensity to ease in the playoffs — especially not against the team they dispatched from the title game last year.

“We could really feel the revenge factor from them,” Nave said. “We could tell they really wanted it. They were really looking forward to it throughout the season. It came down to 32 minutes with two of the best teams in the state. They just came out on top today, so hats off to them.”

Nave and Dale scored a combined seven points in the first quarter, and D.J. Clayton added a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 10-8 lead at the buzzer. Nave and Dale opened the second quarter with treys to give Kemper County a 16-13 lead with 5:28 left before the half. Velma Jackson tallied a 13-point second quarter, buoyed by Weatherspoon’s six points to give the Falcons a 21-20 lead at intermission.

Dale scored all five of Kemper County’s third-quarter points, while Weatherspoon added another seven points. Teammate and brother Brandon Weatherspoon added two points to give Velma Jackson a 30-25 lead after three quarters.

“Being defending champs, everybody gives you their all,” Dale said. “You can’t come in knowing you’re champs and thinking it’s all going to be good. Everybody gives you their best shot, and everybody wants to beat the defending champs. When you’re defending champs, you have to go out there and take care of business. We played well, but we could have played a whole lot better. Free throws killed us a lot tonight. We just should have had a better game. It came back to haunt us later in the end.”

Three missed free throws and timely blocked shots from Velma Jackson in the fourth quarter spelled doom for the Wildcats.

After the game, Nave reflected on his time at Kemper County.

“It’s been crazy,” he said. “I’ve been a five-year starter in basketball; time flies. My time here I’ve won two state championships, and you can’t beat that. This is my final high school basketball game — my final game period — in a Kemper County uniform. It hasn’t hit me yet. I’ve had a great time here.”

Nikolas Weatherspoon scored a team-high 17 points for Velma Jackson.