The Priceville girls basketball team has been on quite a roll since entering the postseason.

They defeated a 20-plus win team outside the rankings in the sub-regional round, the 10-ranked team (St. John Paul II) to open regionals and have now shaken the foundation of Class 4A girls basketball after handing a loss to one of the winningest programs in the state.

The Bulldogs held a double-digit lead at halftime but were forced to fend off a championship-caliber program for a 68-64 upset victory over No. 2 Deshler in Thursday’s Class 4A Northwest Regional final at Wallace-Hanceville’s Tom Drake Coliseum.

Priceville (22-9) fell behind 8-3 off the Tigers’ opening run, powered by two 3-pointers from Chloe Siegel, but took control on a 12-0 run midway through the first period to claim a 20-12 lead entering the second frame.

The second frame erupted into a string of runs by both teams as Deshler used 4-0 and 5-0 runs — sandwiching a 6-0 run by the Bulldogs – to pull within five points. Priceville closed out the half with a 6-2 run in holding a double-digit lead at the halftime break.

The Bulldogs and Tigers traded 3-pointers to begin the second half, but Deshler eventually tied the game at 41-41 with 2:34 left in the quarter following a 15-4 run. It was 47-47 heading into the fourth.

Priceville put together an 8-2 run to open the final frame with Zoey Benson scoring four points during the stretch, but the Tigers pulled ahead 60-56 at the midway point of the period off the efforts of an 11-1 run that saw Siegel drain three straight 3-pointers. Deshler (30-5) allowed an 8-0 run from the Bulldogs’ Hames sisters, Lauren and Leslie, but managed to tie the game at 64-64 on an old-fashioned, four-point play by Reece Davis.

Benson and Ashlyn Johnson scored the final buckets of the game in the final 36 seconds to earn the Bulldogs their four-point win over the defending champions.

Did you know? Priceville advances to the state tournament for the first time in program history in its fifth regional final appearance. Deshler fails to make the state tournament after back-to-back appearances. The Tigers have made 17 state tournaments and won nine titles, including the 2022 championship.

All-Tournament Team: Priceville’s Leslie Hames was named tournament MVP and her sister Lauren Hames was also selected to the all-tournament team. Joining them were Deshler’s Chloe Siegel and Raegan Rickard and Good Hope’s Ivey Maddox and Heather Tetro.

By the numbers: The Bulldogs literally made a couple of more shots than Deshler, going 24-for-57 from the field (42.1 percent) while the Tigers were 22-for-27 (38.6 percent) for the game. Both teams were even in rebounding (32) and personal fouls (17) but Priceville held a plus-9 advantage on inside scoring.

Stat sheet: Priceville – Leslie Hames led the Bulldogs with a team-high 17 points, adding four rebounds and three steals, and Lauren Hames had 14 points and five boards. Ashlyn Johnson finished with nine points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals, followed by Abby Langlois with eight points, four boards and three assists, and Benson had six points and six rebounds. Gracin Prater contributed four points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Deshler – Davis finished with a game-high 23 points for the Tigers, adding six rebounds, and Siegel had 21 points, six boards and two steals. Cooper Thompson and Ragan Rickard scored seven points each, the latter also producing 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals. Ali Henson added two points and seven boards.

Coachspeak: “I woke up this morning, as you know my dad coached here for 23 years and this is home for me, and I texted my sister and told her our daddy was fixing to dance in heaven. I felt it and wrote fearless on my hand. That’s the word to describe this group. They have been fearless all year.” — Priceville coach Terrie Nelson

“From a spectator’s point of view, that was one good game to watch. I couldn’t be prouder of my kids if we were the ones yelling and screaming and being happy. I’m happy for Priceville. Terrie Nelson is a class act coach, and that’s what I told her in the line. Hate that it was at our expense.” — Deshler’s Jana Killen

They said it: “We put so much work in and this year is really special because it’s our last year together. She’s played with me since I started playing so our bond is special in this game. Hard work pays off.” — Lauren Hames on playing with her sister Leslie

“I shoot over 1,000 (shots) a day. Her (Lauren) and I both do. We woke up the past three days at 5:30 and shot before so we could prepare to play early in the morning today.” — Leslie Hames on her and her sister’s 3-point shooting

What’s next? Priceville advances to the face No. 7 UMS-Wright at 3 p.m. on Tuesday in the state semifinal at BJCC’s Legacy Arena.