BIRMINGHAM — Chayse Carter had only one thought as he stepped to the free throw line with 8.6 seconds left on the biggest stage in Alabama high school basketball. Don’t miss.

Carter didn’t, nailing two free throws to give West Limestone a 50-48 win over Booker T. Washington in the Class 4A state semifinals Tuesday evening at Birmingham’s Legacy Arena at the BJCC.

“I’m as proud of them tonight as I’ve been all year,” West Limestone coach Justin Taylor said. “This was a game where momentum changed a couple of times. It’s hard to get it back when it starts going with the other team, but we did it somehow. They had the momentum and somehow we ended up with the lead.”

It took a wild final minute for West Limestone to grab that lead, as Booker T. Washington had the lead and all the momentum before a series of defensive plays put the Wildcats in front.

It started with just over a minute left, as Booker T. Washington got the offensive rebound from a missed free throw while leading 48-46. The Golden Eagles tried to run some clock, but Alec Baugher stepped in front of a Booker T. Washington player to draw the charge with 1:01 remaining.

The Wildcats then ran a play for Baugher to get open with a 3-pointer from the top of the key, but the ball hit the rim three times before falling off. However, West quickly got back into its pressure defense and forced another turnover by Booker T. Washington, which resulted in Baugher being fouled in the act of shooting with 27.6 seconds left.

“To be able to transition immediately to defense without hanging your head says a lot about these guys,” Taylor said. “Human nature wants you to hang your head and feel sorry for yourself. Booker T. Washington is a good team with the lead with less than a minute left, but our guys never stopped fighting.”

Baugher hit both free throws to tie the game, and Booker T. Washington advanced the ball to the front court before calling timeout with 13.1 seconds remaining.

West Limestone pressured the inbound pass, forcing yet another turnover, and Carter grabbed the ball with 10 seconds left. Two Booker T. Washington defenders tried to reach in and force a jump ball, but one raked across Carter’s arm for a foul with 8.6 seconds remaining.

“He just kind of dropped it in bounds, and I grabbed it,” Carter said. “I was hoping the refs were going to call a foul. When I stepped to the line, I was just thinking, ‘Don’t miss.’”

Following Carter’s free throws, Booker T. Washington had one final chance to tie or win, but an attempted pass inside to Martez Jones was intercepted by Braden Tuten, who dribbled out the clock on a thrilling victory that leaves the Wildcats one victory away from a state championship.

It is the second time West Limestone has overcome a late deficit to win a postseason game in the final seconds. The Wildcats trailed Deshler by 21 points in the fourth quarter of the sub-regional game before coming back to win 62-60 when Christian Clemmons hit a shot at the buzzer.

So, is this a team of destiny?

“We’ve just got kids who think they can find a way to win,” Taylor said. “I wouldn’t want to play us right now, because they think they’re going to find a way to win every game, and they have been lately.”

One of those players who epitomizes West Limestone’s will to win is sophomore River Helms. Helms was West’s inside presence against a team featuring a much taller post player in Jones. Jones finished the game with 18 points and 16 rebounds, but Helms nearly matched him, scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 boards.

Anytime the Wildcats needed a basket or a critical rebound, Helms was there to score or grab a defensive rebound over taller Booker T. Washington players.

While Helms might lack for size against the Golden Eagles’ center, he sure doesn’t lack for confidence.

“I just go out there and try to be better than everybody out there,” Helms said. “I thought I was better than him.”

The wild final minute was a fitting conclusion to a game that was tight the entire way. West Limestone came out shooting well in the first half, making six 3-pointers to take a 26-21 halftime lead. The Wildcats then scored the first five points of the third quarter to take their largest lead at 31-21.

But Booker T. Washington came back, using their height advantage to grab offensive rebounds and get second and third opportunities for baskets.

The Golden Eagles (20-10) tied the score at 34-34 at the end of the third quarter, and neither team had more than a three-point lead at any point in the fourth period.

Clemmons scored had 10 points for West Limestone, while Baugher scored eight, including the critical free throws in the final minute.

West Limestone (21-13) will play Talladega (25-8) in the Class 4A state championship game at 5:45 p.m. Friday. Talladega defeated Hillcrest-Evergreen 69-58 in Tuesday’s other semifinal.

The Wildcats will be going for their second state championship in five years, having won the title in 2015.

Taylor was asked to compare those two teams following Tuesday’s win, and said while the 2015 team had a lock-down defense that hardly any team could penetrate, this year’s team has had to improve defensively throughout the year.

“That team could guard you for two minutes and never make a mistake until you finally took a bad shot,” Taylor said. “This team creates a little bit more with turnovers. But man, we were so bad on defense at the beginning of the year. But I’m so proud of them now.”