JACKSON — Luther Riley wouldn’t describe what his team is doing as dominant, but it’s pretty close.

The Columbus High School boys team has been untouchable in the postseason. Columbus kept that streak intact Wednesday night, as Robert Woodard II had 19 points and 12 rebounds in a 67-42 victory against Southaven in the semifinals of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A State tournament at Mississippi Coliseum.

“The guys are finally coming together,” Riley said. “We’re trying to build a brand here in Columbus and base it on defense, execution and smart basketball.”

Columbus (25-5) will play Starkville, which beat Tupelo 61-46 on Wednesday, at 8 p.m. Saturday for the state championship.

After getting a bye in the first round, Columbus beat Greenville 74-32 at home and George County 81-49 last Saturday night.

Riley took over for Sammy Smith last summer and began the process of changing the culture of Columbus High basketball.

“It took a minute for us to click together as a team with the coach,” Woodard II said. “But after a little while we started to get into the flow of things and started playing as a team.”

Chris Deloach scored 18 points and Cameron Douglas and Javontae McDavid had 10.

Leading 35-13 at halftime, the Falcons saw their lead shrink to 44-30 at the end of the third quarter. The Chargers opened the second half on an 11-2 run and outscored the Falcons 17-9 in the quarter.

But Columbus opened the fourth quarter on a 19-3 run to put the game away. During the run, Woodard caught a pass in transition and threw it over his shoulder to Deloach, who laid it off the glass.

“They just got a little momentum on their side,” Woodard II said. “We had to put the pace back where we wanted it so we could take control of the game again. We just had to get back into the feel of how we were playing in the beginning.”

Riley said he told his team the Chargers were going to make a run. He was happy with the way his players answered the run with one in the fourth quarter.

Tied at 6 midway through the first quarter, Columbus went on a 24-2 run that stretched into the second quarter to build a 30-8 lead. Woodard II had the first of his two dunks, as he pulled down a rebound and went back up strong with both hands.

During the run, it was hard for Southaven to find any space on offense. Woodard II is proud of that fact because he feels defense has helped the Falcons dominate in the postseason.

“We really focused in on defense when the playoffs began,” Woodard II said. “The defense is what helps us out a lot. It helps us get easy baskets and points.”

Taze Moore had 15 points to lead the Chargers, who shot 32.7 percent from the field.

Riley said when he was hired that the goal was to win the championship. That goal has been a driving force for the Falcons all season.

“It’s very motivating,” Woodard II said. “Never been in this situation before with Columbus, so it gives us a lot of energy and motivation to play hard every game.”

Columbus has overcome the ebbs and flows, including an 80-61 loss to Starkville in the first of two meetings. But the Falcons won 70-47 in the rematch at home.

Riley feels like his team is finally playing its best basketball in the postseason.

“They’ve been learning the whole season what we wanted,” Riley said. “We’ve been chipping away at it every day from day one. The guys are a great group, and they bought in from day one. Now they’re learning what to do and doing it. We are trying to ask them to do it at a high level for four quarters.”

Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait

Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.