By DAN BISER

KENANSVILLE – The Trojans of Jones Senior showed early that they liked to run.

The West Columbus Vikings took them up on their challenge and won the race to the finish line in a 91-75 victory Thursday in the Sectional 3 semi-finals of the state 2A high-school boys basketball playoffs.

With five players scoring in double figures, the Vikings never trailed and claimed the lead for good with just over six minutes left in the first quarter.

It was the Vikings’ 12th straight win and put their season record at 23-3. The win put West Columbus into Saturday night’s sectional final against Wallace-Rose Hill.

West Columbus battled foul trouble early in the game as it was whistled for 17 fouls in the opening half.

Along with the penchant to run the floor, the Trojans proved to be a strong rebounding team, getting more than a dozen points on put-backs and second and third chance shots. Coach Michael Powell’s WCHS squad led 45-39 at the half.

Viking junior guard Chaz Everette recorded his third straight triple-double as he scored 24 points and had 11 rebounds and 10 steals. He also handed out seven assists. Everette, who fouled out late in the game, was 9-for-9 from the foul line.

Zack Andrews and Courtney Hayes each scored 15 points with Hayes coming off the bench to hit two-big 3-point shots and convert a steal into lay-up late in the first quarter.

Center Willie Smith tallied 13 points and Alberto De La Rosa scored 12 in an “off-the-bench” performance that also included some key steals and assists.

Mikey Bilal added eight points and nine assists.

“It was a good team effort,” Powell said. “We didn’t do a very good job of rebounding, especially on the defensive boards, but Jones Senior had something to do with that. They had more size than we did and their big people get up the floor quickly.”

Jones Senior closed its season with a 12-16 record, including a runnerup finish in the Coastal Plains Conference.

“They are better than their record,” Powell said of the Trojan squad. “They kept battling.”

Jones Senior was led in the scoring department by Donta Moss with 22 points. Dante McDaniel and Josh Brown each scored 10.

JONES SENIOR (75): White 7, Barfield 2, Hall 7, McDaniel 10, Brown 10, C. Frost 4, Moss 22, K. Frost 5, Brimack 2.

WEST COLUMBUUS (91): Everette 24, Bilal 8, C. Smith 2, De La Rosa 12, Leggett 2, Hayes 15, Andrews 15, W. Smith 13.