Perhaps no win was tougher to earn for the Lady Broncos this season than victory No. 25. Boyd was able to survive a brutal battle with Christian Community at home Thursday, winning 70-60 to punch its ticket to the TSIAA D1 state finals.

Macie Bush delivered a big night with 24 points, while Cydney Jane Perry added 15 and Katie Bechtel came alive late with 12 points to help Boyd close out the year 16-3 at home.

"It's been a point of emphasis with us to protect home court. We actually went a calendar year without losing at home for one stretch before it got snapped in December, but we've started a new streak," said coach Tim Page. "It was a physical game. We knew they wanted to play physical and we had to match that. It took everybody to do it."

Boyd (25-11) and Christian Community combined to commit 61 fouls and shoot 86 free throws in the battle, one that turned into a war of attrition as each team had to go deep into its bench.

The Lady Broncos got even thinner when Bechtel - a stellar sophomore guard - banged her knee and had to be helped off the court in the third quarter, but she made a heroic return in the fourth and caught fire.

Bechtel hit a long jumper on the first play of the fourth, then added two 3-pointers late as Boyd pulled away for a big-time win at home against one of the best teams in the TSIAA North division. 

"Macie got us rolling in the first quarter with her shooting, then Katie helped bring us home," said Page. "Most of the night, they were double- and triple-teaming Brooke (Kesey) in the paint, so it opened up things for our guards. CJ was floor general for us - she kept us going and made sure we always had a chance to score."

Kesey, despite the attention, was able to score 10 points and grab nine boards, while senior Kelly Bush continued surging in the postseason with eight points and 10 rebounds.

Boyd went to Welch College Saturday to play Clarksville Christian School for the TSIAA state championship. Results were unavailable at press time.