After the Todd Beamer Titans lost to Bellarmine Prep, Feb. 10., the girls knew state tournament hopes weren’t over. There was just an additional hurdle they’d have to clear.

The Titans answered the call and returned to Beamer basketball with a 63-44 win over the Olympia Bears at Mount Tahoma High School, Tuesday. The win officially punched its ticket to the state tournament.

Darion Brown put the Titans on her back with a team-high 19 points, while Makenzie Bond chipped in 16 and Briawna Kelly had 10.

The win over Olympia was a complete turnaround for Beamer. Despite losing the lead early in the second quarter, once the Titans got it back, they never squandered it. Instead, they did just the opposite by going on a 36-12 run through quarters two and three.

The win comes as a breath of fresh air for Beamer after it struggled over its last five games. Specifically, the Titans have gone into fourth quarters carrying leads, but they couldn’t maintain them and close out games.

It’s a problem Titans head coach Corey Alexander said he had seen enough of after the loss to Bellarmine four days earlier.

“Some of our experienced girls still need to learn how to play through that,” Alexander said at the time. “We get bad calls sometimes, but we still have to learn how to play through it and not get tensed up.

“ (Bellarmine) was a state-kind of game. We have to learn how to control that. We just have to stay the course and play the way we want to play.”

In their Feb. 10 loss, instead of controlling Bellarmine, the Titans were controlled by the Lions and sophomore Shalyse Smith, who led her team past Beamer (20-5) with 16 points and 25 rebounds.

She had everything from the eight-foot jumper to the offensive rebound and putback, to the one-hand post-up floater — all working.

In fact, 12 of her 16 points came in the final 16 minutes of the game. Her dominance at the boards was also apparent as Smith out-worked Darion Brown, Beamer’s leading rebounder.

Brown also happens to be an inch taller than Smith.

“Sometimes things just don’t go your way,” Alexander said. “We just tried to rush things, rush the offense a little bit. We tried to attack the hoop, didn’t get the call. I think we got depleted after that.”

Prior to the final eight minutes, Beamer had senior point guard Japhera McEachin at her best.

She led the Titans with 16 points, six rebounds and a steal, but her most critical points actually came from the free throw line.

McEachin’s two free throws gave the Titans a 24-17 lead midway through the third quarter, which was Beamer’s largest lead of the half.

“Day in and day out, she gives 110 percent,” Alexander said. “I put it on her shoulders. I said, ‘You’ve been here with great talent. You know what it takes.’ So she’s going to give 110.

“I was hoping that would trickle down to some of the younger players. She’s a vocal giant for us, and I’m pushing for her to be more vocal. She can’t do it by herself. Everyone’s got to step up and come to play.”

Alexander said it best after the loss to Bellarmine days earlier, for the first time in a long time, Beamer has its back against a tough wall in the postseason.

If the Titans plan to compete in the state tournament, they have to take care of the basketball, and, most importantly, not let leads slip away in the final minutes.

“We just have to take care of the basketball, and play the way we know how to play,” Alexander said. “Yes, there’s a sense of urgency we have to win, but I don’t want them in a panic mode. If we get back to Beamer basketball — move the ball, attack the hoop, we’ll be fine.”