BROOKINGS — The Rustlers are back on top of the Class B basketball world.

Ethan claimed its second girls basketball championship with a 48-39 win over Harding County in the Class B girls basketball title game Saturday at First Bank & Trust Arena.

This championship has been a year in the making after the Rustlers loss in the Region 3B semifinals a year ago.

“It’s just amazing,” said senior guard Taziah Hawkins. “We wanted this so bad since last March after we lost to St. Mary. We just knew that we had to put in the work. It means the world to us. After how things ended last season, we knew we wanted it this bad and we didn’t want to be sitting at home watching this state tournament.”

Saturday’s championship pinned the No. 4 Rustlers and its efficient 3-point shooting against the one of the toughest defenses in Class B girls basketball allowing just 28 points per game in the No. 6 Ranchers (24-2).

But it was Ethan’s defense that made the most noise, silencing a HC offense averaging 66 points a game to just 39 in the state championship.

“That really made the difference,” said Ethan head coach Tom Young. “We built up a lead and I said from the very beginning, our defense is going to have to carry us tonight because I didn’t think with their defense, we were going to be able to shoot as well as we did last night and we didn’t. The girls just hung in there and kept us in it.”

HC would throw the first punch following a Sattyn Wilson 3-pointer to give the Ranchers a six-point lead at the 2:39 mark of the opening quarter.

Midway through the second quarter facing a four-point deficit, senior guard Marissa Storm connected on three-straight 3-pointers to give Ethan the 19-18 advantage at halftime.

““We’re such a momentum team and that’s what we needed,” Hawkins said of Storm’s scoring. “If one person is hitting three’s and we need to find the open person, that’s what we’re going to do.”

In the third quarter the Rustlers tightened the screws and played lights-out defense forcing four turnovers and eight consecutive missed shots to keep the Rancher offense in check. Storm, who was awarded the Spirit of Sue Award at halftime, credits her and the other two seniors, Hawkins and Rachel Klock, for pushing the Rustler defense in the second half.

“Personally, us seniors, we knew those were our last 16 minutes so we just gave it our all and we knew we had to come with our defense,” Storm said. “Even though our legs were tired, we just kept pushing through.”

While the Rustlers got it done defensively, they took control of the lead on the other end with a 12-1 scoring run in the third quarter.

Ethan continued its dominant defense throughout the fourth quarter with a few slips late, but a comeback attempt was too little too late for the No. 6 Ranchers.

“It’s unreal,” Storm said of the championship. “What a way to go out in my senior year and I couldn’t be any more proud of my team and just the way we played tonight.”

Storm finished with a game-high 20 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists to go along with the Spirit of Su Award at halftime.

“What a night for that young lady and she’s the one that had the toughest time and she came back and I’m just so proud of her,” Young said of Storm.

Hawkins added 10 points, seven boards and five assists, Klock tallied eight points, nine rebounds, two steals and a block, Macie Dean collected five points and six rebounds while Sadie Mueller collected five points, four rebounds and three assists in the win.

Harding County, which was held to just 30.4% shooting from the floor and 25.9% from 3-point range, was led by Raelee Hunsucker had 11 points and four rebounds, Wilson added six points, Macey Wendt tallied five points and three boards while Kamry Padden netted five points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals in the loss.

With the win, the Rustlers earned its second-ever girls basketball championship and its first since 2015. Ethan ends its season with a record of 24-2.

“It’s amazing,” Young said. “I’m just so happy for the girls. They’ve had a tough year, tough year at our school but they never gave up and fought back. It’s just been an awesome journey.”