Senior Callie Scheier stands off against the Southeast Raleigh Bulldogs. The stadium admires her confidence and holds its breath, perched on her next move. She brings the ball down, and the noise of the crowd resumes with the play.

Earning the state championship over the now three-time state runner-up Southeast, the Titans began the game with Scheier scoring three three-pointers. Sophomore guard Shakira Baskerville, sophomore forward Briauna Booth and senior shooting guard Destiny Griffin worked in tandem with point guards Scheier and Catherine Byun to end the first quarter up 9-7.

The second quarter began with a flagrant missed call resulting in a point by Southeast. The lady Titans kept their cool. With exceptional passing, Scheier scored another three, and Griffin scored a two in the paint. A Southeast fan behind the basket conjured new distractions with every free throw, but to no avail. West stayed focused and ended the first half with a 21-16 lead.

The determined voices of the West cheerleaders broke the suspense of halftime. Scheier drove the ball down the court to earn a two-pointer. She scored another lay-up a minute later. Baskerville and Booth effectively fought off Raleigh as Byun steadily handled the ball. Byun passed to Scheier, who scored her fourth three. Despite Southeast senior Nevaeh Haddock’s consistent guarding of Scheier throughout the game, her quick footwork gave her the room she needed to score. With less than two minutes left in the third, she scored her fifth; with less than 30 seconds, she scored her sixth. The Titans ended the third 38-29.

The chant of “Let’s Go West” grew thunderous as the West cheering section wore their hope for a state championship on green and gold sleeves. The girls entered the fourth with a singularly calm and frenetic energy, one possessed by those who knew their dream might be mere minutes away. Griffin scored a three with an assist from Scheier. Baskerville shut down any opposing scoring in the paint. Byun scored a two, English teacher Stuart Egan bellowing the correct pronunciation of her name towards the announcer. Scheier stood off against Southeast. A technical foul on Byun brought her second basket and an encore performance of “Let’s Go West” by the standing home cheering section. Chants of “Defense” morphed into a cacophony of screamed hopes known only to sporting events and rock concerts as the quarter winded down. West’s defense spread out in a wall signaling, “Bring it home.” As the last seconds ticked by on wild cheers, Scheier and Griffin dribbled their championship into stone. With the seismic roar of the crowd drowning out the final buzzer, the Titans rushed the court and enveloped each other in a group hug. They had won, 47-36.

West students sang their goodbyes to Southeast as Egan, the West Wackos sponsor, raised the West colors.

“We’ve won three state championships at N.C. State: at the softball field, at the soccer field, and the flag was there for both times. And so we had to bring it here,” Egan said.

Putting the cherry on top of the already sweet trophy, Byun earned the Western Sportsmanship Award, Griffin earned the Most Outstanding Player for the State Championship Team Award and Scheier earned the Most Valuable Player for the State Championship Award.

In an interview with High School Overtime, head coach Brittany Cox reflected on the team’s win.

“I’m just so proud of our girls. I think our team showed tonight what extreme belief and commitment looks like. Our West Forsyth team is everything that’s right with sports,” Cox said.