Holly Pond's Bailey Smith glides through the lane for a layup.

BIRMINGHAM — Drew Jones couldn’t watch, Bailey Smith couldn’t speak and Dawson Foust couldn’t stop the tears from flowing freely.

Shortly after Holly Pond’s 86-78 loss to Midfield, the senior trio did its best to field and answer questions during the press conference that followed Tuesday’s Class 3A state semifinal at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.

But the No. 2 Broncos were mentally and physically drained.

And it took a little bit of time for them to realize their 32-2 season — littered with school records, blowout wins and a host of program accomplishments — had ultimately reached its final crescendo.

Foust was the first to come to terms with the situation.

His parting words, choked with emotion and nearly inaudible, did their best to paint a picture of just how he and the rest of his longtime teammates were feeling in the aftermath of the Green and White’s tough loss to the top-ranked Patriots (26-6).

“It’s pretty real for me now,” Foust said. “It was my last game in a Holly Pond jersey. We’ve played all throughout the years together, so it’s going to be difficult to leave. But we all have bigger things to move toward to in the future. We had a really good season.”

For coach Mitch Morris, the pain was palpable. So, too, was the pride.

The Broncos trailed by as many as 19 points in a matchup mostly controlled by Midfield, but they never once gave up and continued to fight hard until the untimely end.

“These guys are competitors,” he said. “They wanted to win. There were times that we could have hung our head and just let Midfield have it. They didn’t want this thing to end. They weren’t satisfied with just making it here. That showed on this floor today. It’s been a terrific season, and I love these guys to death.

“I was once told a quote, ‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.’ The loss doesn’t define this group and doesn’t overshadow the great season we had. We’re disappointed, but we have a lot to be proud of this year.”

Holly Pond stood toe-to-toe with its much bigger opponent early in the first quarter, racing out to an 11-6 advantage with Matt Cahoon’s three-point play and Bailey Smith’s layup.

Unfortunately, that’s when the Patriots cashed in their first — and most crucial — surge of the game.

Coach Darrell Barber’s squad closed the frame on a 13-2 run and scored six of the first nine points in the second quarter to build a 25-16 lead.

Smith, McKinley Garrett and Andrew Shaw then spearheaded a nice 9-1 burst to cut the Green and White’s deficit to one just a couple of minutes later.

Midfield, though, answered right back with a 16-7 spurt to close the half with a 42-32 cushion.

“Looking back, that was probably the difference in the game,” Morris said. “They went on the big run in the first half, and we had to scratch and claw like crazy to get it respectable before halftime. We didn’t make a lot of shots early on that we normally make. We got want we wanted but couldn’t knock them down.

“Another thing was the turnovers. We hurt ourselves a lot in spots during this loss, which led to some of Midfield’s bursts that put them in solid position for the rest of the game. I knew we couldn’t turn it over and have much of a chance to win.”

The Patriots — behind Kam Woods, Shy Cunningham and Keenan Isaac — jumped all over the Green and White to begin the second half, surging to a 56-39 lead that forced Morris to take a timeout and talk things over with his team.

The message? Fight, fight, fight.

And that’s exactly what the Broncos did.

Shaw made a couple of 3-pointers, while Jones added five points of his own during a Holly Pond onslaught that trimmed an overwhelming 17-point deficit into a much more manageable six points at 56-50.

But the runs didn’t stop there, as Midfield once again pulled ahead late in a close frame, drilling a buzzer-beating trey that extended its cushion back out to 12 entering the fourth stanza.

The biggest reason the Broncos couldn’t break through? Size.

The Patriots bested the Green and White in rebounds (46-37), points in the paint (20-7) and free-throw attempts (37-14), which essentially let them play the final eight minutes of the matchup with a reasonably comfortable lead.

“We knew it would be a challenge and a struggle against their size,” Morris said. “Not only that, but they are really good. They chewed up the boards. Their big bodies were hard to get around. They were good free-throw shooters, too. Coach Barber and those guys are No. 1 for a reason.”

Jones and Foust each sank two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to close out their careers with 19- and 13-point outings, respectively, while Cahoon and Garrett took home 12 points apiece. Shaw (nine), Smith (eight), Caleb Jones (three), and Michael Lambert (two) rounded out the scoring for Holly Pond.

Woods (26), Keenan (17), Cunningham (16) and Anthony Brown (11) were the terrific contributors for the Patriots, who’ll be matched up with No. 7 Plainview in the championship tilt Friday at 2:15 p.m. The Bears bettered No. 6 Hillcrest-Evergreen 68-52 in the other semifinal.

Despite the season-ending loss, the Green and White will exit the 2016-17 campaign with a school record 32 triumphs as well as new program marks in total points scored (2,838), points in a game (123), scoring average (83.4 points per tilt) and margin of victory (36 points per win).

“It’s going to take some time (to get over the game),” Jones said. “I just give the glory to God. I’ve had a great ride and a great career. This season will mean everything to me in the future. We’re basically family. This group is full of my brothers. We’ll look back at these memories and cherish them.”

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THEY SAID IT

“This is the most seniors I’ve ever had on a team. They are very, very special. Great players and really great young men. If I had another daughter, I wouldn’t mind her marrying one of them. They’ll be sorely missed.” — Mitch Morris.

“Shout out to those guys. They did well. We knew they were going to come in and play. They’re No. 2 for a reason.” — Darrell Barber.

“Personally, I think this could have been it (the de facto state championship). Not taking anything away from those other two teams, but I think those guys at Midfield are the best team down here. It’s theirs to lose now.” — Mitch Morris.