ROCHESTER — After the final buzzer had sounded at the Section 1A title game in Mayo Civic Center in Rochester Friday night, Lyle/Pacelli junior Courtney Walter clutched the section championship trophy and grinned from ear to ear.

It was real.

Lyle/Pacelli beat Fillmore Central 47-36 and qualified for its first trip to the Class A state tournament as a co-op. The accomplishment was a great one, and it wasn’t something than even seemed attainable a few years ago.

“We never thought it was a possibility, but we always hoped and dreamed that it would happen,” Courtney said. “We’ll probably enjoy it for a few days.”

When Courtney and her younger sister, Brooke, a freshman, used to watch the Athletics girls’ basketball team play from the stands, it was hard to imagine Lyle/Pacelli would ever be at the top of Section 1A.

The Athletics were more concerned with competing in the Southeast Conference. In the two years before Courtney joined Lyle/Pacelli, the squad was a combined 2-44 overall, but in the last five years, the Athletics have gone 105-24 with the last two SEC titles. Now Lyle/Pacelli can add a section title to its list of accomplishments.

“That was amazing. I could not be prouder of everyone on this team,” said Courtney, who had 11 points and three assists in the win. “I would not want to be part of any other program.”

When Courtney was trying to find her own way on the varsity team as a seventh and eighth grader, she wasn’t just learning the game herself. She was inspiring her younger sister, and Brooke learned plenty from watching her big sister on the court.

“I’ve been in the stands, and I watched Courtney grow as a basketball player,” Brooke said. “I’ve always hoped to have a good basketball team and to be able to play at this level. We’ve worked hard to get to this level.”

The Athletics may not have been thinking about the state tournament when they lost regular season contests to Goodhue and Southland this season, but Lyle/Pacelli bounced back to beat both of those teams in the tournament.

Athletics head coach Justin Morris said his team has come a long way on and off the court this year.

“They really truly care about each other off the floor, and I don’t know if that was the case six weeks ago. We’ve come so far from a maturity standpoint.” he said. “These kids have made a commitment to getting better. They’ve put the time in and when you make a dedicated effort for each other, good things happen. That’s a life lesson, not just a basketball lesson.”