Magnolia's run for a third boys state championship indirectly began as soon as last season ended, and Coach Ben Lindsey knew it before he and his team even left the locker room at Devil Dog Arena in Morrilton following a loss to the host team in the state tournament.
The Panthers, who'd won a Class 4A state title in 2019 and shared another with Mills in 2020, had just watched their 54-game winning streak come to an end, and the looks on several of the players' faces afterwards revealed plenty.
Determined gazes, more than anything else, were evident, and Lindsey mentioned on that same day that it wouldn't take much to get his guys re-focused to make another run at a championship.
Today, Magnolia (28-0) is back where it intended to be when it battles Blytheville (28-7) in the state final at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs.
"It feels really good, no question," Lindsey said of his team making it back to the championship game. "Any team that's playing in these finals, I'm sure they've all worked really hard. You've got to have a lot of luck, too, along the way.
"You just hope that you work hard enough and the ball bounces your way enough times to where it works out for you."
Things have worked out a lot this season for the Panthers, who have staved off every challenge en route to clinching a third title-game appearance in four seasons. Magnolia even took out the team it shared its last title with along the way in a game that hung in the balance until Derrian Ford did what he's done ever since he put on a Panthers' uniform as a freshman.
The University of Arkansas signee hit a three-pointer with four seconds left -- despite being double teamed -- to lift Magnolia to a 59-56 victory over Mills, the reigning champions, in the semifinals Monday.
"I feel like our kids are pretty mentally tough, too," Lindsey said. "When people heard about the winning streak or our record or whatever, and they've never seen us, when we leave out the locker room, they're probably thinking we're missing some guys. When we come running out of the tunnel, we're not dunking as we come out, and our heads aren't hitting the top of the door.
"Most of the really good teams have big dudes everywhere, but we don't have that. But our kids are really, really tough and play well together. They believe they can win. Even when things haven't gone our way, they don't panic."
Ford offers a calming presence for the Panthers, and his ability to channel his emotions regularly allows them to remain even-keeled throughout most games. But that sereneness might be tested against a Blytheville team that has had its season end at the hands of the Panthers before.
The Chickasaws had a promising season cut short in the second round of the 2020 Class 4A state tournament when they lost 69-55 to Magnolia. This season, Blytheville again has a group more than capable of winning a state title, which would be their first since 2006, and there are a number of things it possesses that stand out to Lindsey.
But there's one factor, in particular, that he deems may be more imposing than anything the Panthers have faced in quite some time.
"No question, the big boy inside," Lindsey said in reference to the Chickasaws' junior Rashaud Marshall. "I think he stands out to everybody when he's out there on the floor. Teams match up better or worse against different teams, kind of like the NCAA Tournament every year. It's not always who you think the most talented team is that wins. It's about their matchups on the way there.
"This one will probably be a clash of styles right here because they are so much bigger than us, and we don't have anybody that looks like [Marshall]."
Marshall, a 6-9 junior, averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds per game during the state tournament where he gave opponents all kinds of problems. Lindsey noted that he's tough to defend, especially because of his height, and his awareness is sharp because he's shown a keenness to find open teammates. Defensively, his length is troublesome, too.
Blytheville also starts Tyree Jackson, 6-5, as well as a few other 6-footers who could give the Panthers' difficulties.
According to Lindsey, his team can't be careless and has to play sound on both ends of the floor -- a popular recipe for any team looking to win a title.
"We're going to have to take care of the basketball," he said. "Hopefully we'll be able to dictate the tempo some and try to do as good a job as we can of limiting the big kid from completely dominating the game on us. I know he's going to get some, but we've got to keep him from dominating every single thing offensively and defensively in the paint.
"That's going to be a big key for us if we're going to win this thing."
Derrian Ford, Arkansas basketball recruit on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021, during the second half of play at Barnhill Arena, Fayetteville. (Special to the NWA Democrat-Gazette/David Beach)