SPRING VALLEY — It must have seemed like the longest minute for senior guard Lydia Stariha. She brought the ball over halfcourt and stood there, all alone, Ottawa Marquette accepting its’ fate, dribbling out the final 60 seconds of St. Bede’s 53-38 regional championship win.

“I just saw the clock ticking down, and I know we had it, and it was just the greatest feeling,” Stariha said. “It means a lot. It was a goal from the beginning to win it. We all put in the work; we had a lot of tough games and had to fight through injuries. It means a lot to come out here and win it.”

“Words can’t even describe it right now. I was crying on the bench. I’m so excited. I can’t put it into words,” teammate Mo Dean said.