BUTTE — In its pursuit of a third consecutive championship — and in a nerve-racking moment — Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale simply couldn’t be denied.
A big third quarter turned a five-point halftime deficit into a 10-point lead, and the Mavericks held off hungry Roy-Winifred in the final minutes to prevail 53-47 on Saturday and win the Class C girls basketball state championship at the Civic Center, their third title in a row.
Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale may have seen its 73-game winning streak snapped earlier this postseason, but the championship was always the year-end priority. It hardly came easy. And it wasn't exactly expected from the outside looking in.
"We've had such a good program, good coaches, good kids come through," said Mavericks guard Shelbi LaBrie, who had a huge impact in the win. "I'd say the first few years when we got it, it was expected. So this one almost means more. Look how close this championship game was.
"We didn't have a close game for two years before this. And so we worked hard for this one and fought for it, and yeah, it feels really good."
The final moments of the game were pressure-filled for both teams.
With less than a minute left, Roy-Winifred's Kinzlee Wickens scored off a turnover to trim the Mavericks' lead to 50-47. The Red Raiders then forced a five-second violation on the in-bound but gave the ball right back with a turnover of their own.
LaBrie then stepped to the line for two bonus free throws with 30.4 seconds left, hitting 1 of 2 to extend Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale's lead to 51-47. A 3-point try by the Red Raiders missed, and LaBrie followed by making two more foul shots with 13.7 seconds on the clock.
That iced the game, as the Red Raiders were unable to score on their final possession.
"They came out in that super-aggressive man-to-man defense, and we had a few turnovers," Roy-Winifred coach Julie Ewen, whose team was outscored 21-6 in the eight minutes after halftime. "They're just a really good, strong, physical team. Their man-to-man defense got us there in the third quarter."
In a rematch of last season’s title game, Roy-Winifred led by as many as eight points in the first quarter. But the Mavericks kept fighting back.
A BaiLee McColly putback before the buzzer of a high-scoring first quarter pulled the Mavericks within three points, 19-16.
CharLee McColly then tied it with an offensive rebound and subsequent three-point play to open the second. The scoring pace slowed in that quarter, but a late burst fueled by a 3 and a layup inside within the final 1:10 — both by Lyla Ewen — allowed the Red Raiders to go into halftime ahead 28-23.
Roy-Winifred hit five 3-pointers in the first half, two by Hannah Ewen. Lyla Ewen led all scorers with 11 points at intermission.
The Mavericks came out in the third quarter looking like, well, the Mavericks.
LaBrie scored twice off steals, one that included a foul and a free throw, and CharLee and BaiLee McColly both converted inside to help Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale reel off an 11-0 run.
Gracie Wasson it a 3-pointer and LaBrie again scored off a steal as the Mavericks led 39-30 with 3:30 left in the third. A LaBrie 3 with 10 seconds left in the third gave Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale a 44-34 advantage.
Roy-Winifred got within 48-42 on a spinning shot by Jennifer Ewen, then Claire Wickens made a huge 3 with 1:45 left to make cut it to 48-45. That set up the final anxious moments.
"We were really struggling in the first half. I think we were all just really amped up and excited to be here," LaBrie said. "The talk in the locker room (at halftime) was more like, 'We're beating ourselves,' and we knew it, too.
"So we just tried to do little things right when we came back out. Let's box out, let's take care of the ball, let's do the things we normally do."
They did, and now they're adding more hardware to a growing trophy case.
The Mavericks finished the season with a 25-1 record while the Red Raiders, worthy championship adversaries, closed with a 20-7 mark.
LaBrie finished with a game-high 18 points, 15 in the second half. CharLee and BaiLee McColly combined for 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting and 17 rebounds.
Lyla Ewen's 16 points and seven rebounds led Roy-Winifred. Hannah Ewen added 11, including three 3-pointers.
Earlier Saturday, Melstone beat Scobey 51-25 to claim the third-place trophy. Maggie Eike led three Broncs id double figures with 17 points. Scobey was led by Kaytie Aanstad's 12 points. Melstone finished 26-1 while Scobey ended with a 20-9 record.
