COLMAN — In a heavyweight bout, the Hawks remain unbeaten.

Class B No. 6 Colman-Egan (11-0) surged past Class A No. 6 West Central, 46-44, to close out the Dakota Valley Conference Classic Saturday.

The Hawks relied on two clutch free throws from junior guard Quinn Meyer in the final minute of the game to pull ahead for the ranked win.

“This is the kind of game we knew it was going to be,” said CE head coach Josh Flatten. “On film, we knew we matched up really well with them. They’re a really good basketball team. They can shoot the ball, they’re deeper than us. We just told our girls ‘Who wants it more’, I know it’s a cliche thing to say but we got a special group of girls.”

But the Hawks’ signature win didn’t come without adversity. WC’s three-point shooting took effect early hitting four first-quarter shots from long range to help take a 19-8 lead.

Coach Flatten says they were ready for the Trojans (9-2) to go on a run, but the early offensive outbreak came as a surprise.

“They just played a lot of ball together and we knew that was coming, we just didn’t feel like it was going to come right off the bat,” Flatten said of WC. “We thought they’d probably go on a run in the second quarter and we were prepared for that. I didn’t want to call a timeout, I know what we’re capable of and just have to let them play through some stuff like that.”

With a team that has just one game decided by single digits, the Hawks were rattled through the first eight minutes of the game but the key was staying composed when the going got tough.

“With those easier games, we’re in control of most of the game,” said senior guard Brynlee Landis. “Once adversity hits, you kind of saw the younger girls get stressed and what I personally said was ‘We’re fine, next play and keep your chin up’. When you make a mistake, the best thing you can do is get back on defense and get that possession back.”

The middle two quarters were dominated by CE, limiting the Trojans to just four points in the second quarter and clawing back offensively to just a three-point game at the half.

The Hawks took a lead midway through the third quarter and found themselves holding a 36-33 advantage heading into the final eight minutes.

“Just stay composed,” Flatten said on the key to the win. “I think that’s the name of the game and it’s something that these girls do really well. They’ve played together a lot and they’ve been in a lot of situations like that.”

In the fourth quarter, Meyer took over for the Hawks with seven of its 10 points, hitting two free throws with just 20 seconds left to take a 46-44 lead.

“Quinn is so clutch,” Landis said of Meyer. “Quinn has put in so much time and she hasn’t really gotten the recognition for it. She’s just like a breakout player of this season. You can just tell that she wants it and that’s exactly what it is.”

A missed three-pointer from West Central at the buzzer closed out the win to keep the Hawks unbeaten in Class B girls basketball.

“We just trusted each other and we told each other to take a deep breath and we could do this,” Meyer said of the win.

“I can’t be any more proud of my teammates,” Landis said. “We’ve worked so hard. This is our game and we need to prove that we’re the team and that’s exactly what we did. We came out, we worked as hard as we can and that’s what I’m most proud of every single girl that came out on the floor tonight.”

Meyer led the Hawks with 16 points in the win, Landis added 15 points, Jolie Flatten recorded nine points while Mya Reiff totaled five points. Coach Flatten credits Meyer, Landis and Flatten, who combined for 23 second-half points, for their efforts to pull back ahead for the win.

““When the ball’s not going in for them, those are three kids that find everything else that they can do to win a ballgame. Jo’s matchup with Kacey Jaton, I felt like she handled that really well. Kacey’s a heckuva ballplayer and so is Ellie (Knight), Quinn did a great job with her.”

WC’s Mackenzie Skonhovd led the Trojans with 14 points, Jaton added seven points, Abbi Thornton totaled six points while Ayla Kramer netted five points in the win.

The Hawks jumped to the No. 3 seed in the Class B seed points with the win, but the win only marks a small step in its goal to earn a spot in the state tournament.

“This feels amazing,” Landis said. “This is a step, but we’re not there yet. We’re going to take this win, celebrate it for a little bit, but next week we have work to do and finish out the season with the same intensity that we have right now.”