JACKSON — Jefferson County High School’s postseason run ended one game short of playing for the state championship as the Lady Tigers lost to the Belmont High School Lady Cardinals 68-54 Monday afternoon in the semifinals of the MHSAA Class 3A State Tournament at the Mississippi Coliseum.

Turnovers and foul trouble were the two things that plagued Jefferson County. The Lady Cardinals jumped out to a 23-11 lead over the Lady Tigers at the end of the first quarter.

“We turned the ball over. They capitalized on our mistakes,” Lady Tigers head coach Flora McKnight said. “They scored off our turnovers. It wasn’t like they’re a great team. We were our own problem. We were our own worst enemy. We made mistakes.”

The Lady Tigers outscored the Lady Cardinals 20-18 in the second quarter to go into halftime down by 10 points, 41-31. But even the performance of junior center Diamond Smith was not enough for Jefferson County to make a serious charge in the second half.

Smith almost recorded a triple-double, as she finished with 16 points, 17 rebounds and nine blocked shots before fouling out late in the third quarter.

“Diamond’s performance was great. She missed some easy shots. She left some points on the court. But she played a super game,” McKnight said.

Belmont (30-4) outscored Jefferson County 13-11 in the third quarter and 14-12 in the fourth quarter to advance to the state championship game against 32-2 Booneville Friday afternoon.

Kailyn Hammett also scored 16 points and Antrell Gales added 13 points. But foul trouble was also costly for post players Rachel Shelvy and ReKeijah Williams, who finished with four and two points, respectively.

“Foul trouble determined everything. They (Shelvy and Williams) were playing with four fouls by the end of the third quarter,” McKnight said.

After the game, McKnight told her players that they had a great run and not to hold their heads down.

“I like to say, ‘Now, win as much as you can. Everyone says we’re young and we’ll be back next year. Don’t think about next season,’” McKnight said. “They have no reasons to hold their heads down. No tears.”

McKnight added that this was her third time taking a Lady Tigers team to the Coliseum and the second time to fall in the state semifinals.

Jefferson County, the MHSAA Division 7-3A tournament champion, finished with an overall record of 22-10.