During the playoff run, Brownfield has never quit.
In their playoff path, the Lady Cubs faced the No. 1, 2, 4, 6 team in the state title.
The Lady Cubs did not give up in the 3A state title game, with the defense playing a key part in overtime to earn a 68-64 victory.
“We have a lot of tough games all year long,” Brownfield head coach Michelle Wyatt said. “We were battle-tested all year long and just felt like we were never out of it. We know we have that comeback in us.”
The win gives Brownfield their first state title since 1988, when Sheryl Swoopes was playing, who was also in attendance of the game.
“Going to our Ponder game, we read words of encouragement from them and you just really see how supported by not only the community, but those that have done it,” junior guard Gabi Fields said, who picked up the most valuable player award. “That was really big for us as a team. We have everyone behind us and that was great getting to chat with them after the game. It was special.”
Fields came out of the gates strong, scoring 11 points in the first quarter.
The Fairfield defense did its part in shutting down Fields in the first half, allowing only five from the junior guard in the second quarter.
The second half saw Fairfield getting the opportunity to showcase their state championship game experience in the middle of the third with a 6-0 run that cut the Fairfield deficit down to 37-36 with 5:03 left in the quarter.
The Lady Eagles then rode a 10-0 run late in the third to give Fairfield their first lead since the 5:10 mark in the first quarter.
Fairfield received a key sequence in the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run with the help of Mckinna Brackens, Breyunna Dowell and Te’yella Simpson to give the Lady Eagles the edge, 58-50 at the 3:57 mark.
The Lady Cubs fight entered the game, and the inside-out game is hard to defend when it is run well.
Brownfield ended the quarter on a 7-0 run with a key three-point shot from Dabria Blackwell as the Lady Cubs forced overtime.
Fields then put the cape on for the Lady Cubs, scoring the first four points in a defensive extra period along with converting both free throws to seal the Cubs second state title in program history.
“Last year, we lost in the playoffs to Idalou and we thought that at that moment, that moment would have been too big for us,” Wyatt said. “We determined that nigh that it would never happen again. West Texas basketball is tough. We kept talking that the moment was not too big for us and we have the mental toughness and the end and to make the plays to find a way to win.”
“We were ready to execute and try to win,” Fairfield head coach Sally Whittaker said. “It just didn’t work out for us today.”
“They [Fairfield] are tough on the inside,” Wyatt said. “It took a lot of grit and determination to get them boxed out. It was harder to get boxed out in a zone and then we went back to man. I challenged our post players at the start of the fourth quarter that we had to have those rebounds. They really stepped up in the fourth quarter.”
