With 44.5 seconds left in the second round of the 2026 MHSAA State Championships, the Blue Mountain Lady Cougars were down four, 38-34, to West Tallahatchie.
In a game where points were scarce and every possession felt heavy, four points might as well have been fourteen.
They needed a spark.
They needed it fast.
And I’ll admit — sitting there for my first Blue Mountain game of the season — I felt that sinking feeling. Like most sports fans, I can be a little superstitious.
“I jinxed them,” I thought.
West Tallahatchie had just ripped off an 8-0 run. What was once a 34-30 Blue Mountain lead had flipped into a 38-34 deficit. And during that stretch, senior guard Beiga Foote — the unquestioned floor general — had been on the bench with four fouls.
Foote had already poured in 18 points through three quarters, even outscoring West Tallahatchie by herself in the first half, 13-10. But Head Coach Regina Chills had no choice but to sit her to start the fourth.
By the time Foote returned, the momentum had shifted.
But belief hadn’t.
A steal.
Two free throws. Calm. Controlled.
Another steal. A pass ahead. Foote driving the right lane for the game-tying layup.
Suddenly, 44.5 seconds felt like forever.
Moments later, another defensive disruption led to Dynasty Prather stepping to the line. She knocked down the first free throw to give Blue Mountain a 39-38 lead with 13 seconds remaining.
Just like that.
Ninety percent belief.
The other ten percent? Pure grit.
After the game, Coach Chills didn’t talk about luck. She talked about goals.
“It’s like every season we set goals,” she said. “And to see that they didn’t lay down — that they still wanted to reach that goal — that makes me a proud coach.”
Down four. Under a minute.
“They could’ve easily given up. But they still had a goal they wanted to accomplish. They didn’t look at the clock. They didn’t say we can’t do it. They didn’t say we didn’t have enough time. The only thing they saw was the goal.”
That focus became contagious.
“The difference in the game was that it became a collective effort without holes,” Chills added.
Elizabeth Elliott came up with two steals that erased potential layups. Adrianna Bolden fought for a crucial offensive rebound in the closing seconds. Yes, Foote and Prather delivered in big moments — but the final stretch belonged to everyone in blue.
And if this resilience feels familiar, it should.
This is the same Blue Mountain program that won the 2024 state championship with just six players. Six.
That season was built on belief, too.
Coach Chills has always talked about trusting the Lord, about keeping faith when numbers don’t add up and circumstances don’t look favorable. She doesn’t just preach it — she walks it.
And maybe that’s the real story here.
Because this wasn’t just about 44.5 seconds.
It was about refusing to surrender before the final horn. It was about keeping your eyes fixed on the goal instead of the clock. It was about trusting that if you do your part — together — the rest will fall into place.
Blue Mountain now advances to Round 3 and will face Okolona on Wednesday at ICC with a trip deeper into the state playoffs on the line.
In 2024, they believed when the roster said they shouldn’t.
In 2026, they believed when the scoreboard said they couldn’t.
