CJ Keys leaped into the air to block a Kemper County shot late in the fourth quarter, and moments later, charged at the basket with the ball on the other end and scored a layup through heavy contact and a foul to put the finishing touches on a 47-point performance as the Quitman boys basketball team powered past the Wildcats 98-88 Friday in semifinals of the Sam Dale Tournament at Southeast Lauderdale in a rapidly-paced game with no shortage of fouls, or drama.

“My coach said this would be a great chance for me to find a way to score, and it was,” Keys said. “We’re not used to playing this fast, we’ve been playing low-scoring games, but we did what we had to do.”

In addition to eight made field goals in the paint, the 6-foot-4 Keys also hit four 3-pointers and went 15-for-23 at the free-throw line. He had 23 points in the first half and scored 16 in the third quarter alone.

“That kid is a special player. A special talent,” Panthers head coach Chris Coleman said. “I’ve coached some good kids, but he’s right there in the upper echelon of the most talented guys I’ve ever coached.” 

In addition to Keys’ night, 51 shooting fouls were called among both teams, 26 on Kemper County and 25 on Quitman, resulting in 91 total free-throw attempts. The Wildcats made 30 of 45 shots at the line and the Panthers made 30 of 46.

Keys’ 12 first-quarter points helped give Quitman (10-2) a 27-24 lead before Kemper County (7-6) scored six-straight points to move ahead in the opening minutes of the second period. Keys then nailed his second 3 of the contest to put his squad back up by two, and after the Wildcats’ James Grander made two free throws to make it 32 apiece, the Panthers went on a 7-0 run, highlighted by another 3-pointer from Keys, to put some distance between them and their opponent.

A 3 from Qavion McClendon and 10 made free throws by Kemper County kept it close, however, as Quitman clung to a 51-47 lead at halftime.

“A couple of coaches asked me how we were going to slow (Kemper County) down because they’ve been putting up a lot of points,” Coleman said. “Our style is not to play that high of a game, but I know we’ve got the guys capable of doing, so tonight I let them play.”

Leading 56-55 with 5:48 left in the third quarter, the Panthers strung together a 10-0 run, with eight points from Keys, and outscored the Wildcats 31-20 to lead 78-63 heading into the fourth. Keys tallied eight of his 16 points in the period off free throws.

Kemper County head coach Micheal Johnson was given his second technical foul of the quarter with 1:14 to play and was ejected from the game.

The Wildcats got within nine of the Panthers in the final frame but a 3-point play from Keys, and two free throws, put the contest out of reach.

“We played two games against Meridian this year, that’s how we prepared for this,” Coleman said. “We have one of the best teams in the state right here in our area, and we’re going to play them every chance we get. That’s how we prepare for a situation like this.”

Kemper County had four players with double-digit scoring performances. Granger earned a team-high 23 points and eight rebounds, Mclendon had 15, and Quintavious Reed and Deonte Rush each chipped in 14.

Shawn Willis added 18 points and six rebounds for Quitman, and Jamar Grace had 11.

The Panthers play Southeast Lauderdale at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the Sam Dale Tournament championship game, while the Wildcats take on Northeast Lauderdale at 3:30 p.m. in the consolation matchup.