Going into the state tournament, Sidney’s first-year girls basketball coach Jon Skinner knew the team’s experience in the Eastern A would be beneficial.

“Every night is a battle in our division,” he said. “The ability to win those close games is what sets great teams apart from good ones.”

So when the Eagles were trailing by four points with six minutes remaining in the semi-finals of the state Class A tournament against the two-time defending state champion Anaconda Copperheads, Sidney did what it’s done all year; kept its composure. Behind solid team defense, the bench play of Alex Hammer, Janae Moore’s free-throw shooting and the experienced hand of Jordan Sullivan, the Eagles went on a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter. The run helped Sidney earned a spot in the state title for the first time in school history with a 49-41 victory.

Anaconda had the momentum late in the third as buckets by Lisa Laslovich and Rachel Wagner gave the Copperheads a 29-24 lead late in the period. It didn’t take long for Sidney to respond as Hammer added two buckets in transition to cut Anaconda’s lead to 29-28 going into the fourth quarter.

After the Eagles tied the game up with a Sullivan free throw, the Copperheads took a 33-29 advantage with buckets down low. Sidney, however, kept itself within striking distance behind key free-throw shooting. Hammer and Moore each nailed a pair of shots at the line to tie the game up at 33. That’s when the play of Sidney’s two seniors took over.

A bucket inside and two free throws by Sullivan and a mid-range jumper by Whitney Thiel gave Sidney a 39-33 lead. The run didn’t stop there as two Sullivan baskets made the score 43-33 in favor of the Eagles. The Copperheads tried to fight back, but it wasn’t enough as a Hammer lay-in and free throws by Sullivan and Moore helped the Eagles wrap up the 49-41 victory.

Sullivan led Sidney with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Moore added 14 including a 10-10 free-throw shooting performance while Hammer had 11 points. Kayla Lake and Thiel finished with three points while Megan Johnson had a point.

Anaconda controlled the action throughout most of the first quarter. A jumper by Wagner gave the Copperheads an 11-5 lead, but a three-point play by Sullivan and free throws by Moore cut Anaconda’s lead to 13-12 going into the second quarter.

A Sullivan three got the Eagles up by two early, but Copperhead used a pair of transition buckets to take a 19-16 advantage. A lay-in and free throws by Moore made the score 20-19 at half in favor of Sidney.