The Lions cruised to that coveted championship game appearance but faced resistance while there, trailing Potomac School in the second half Friday at home in Potomac.

Drawing on similar experiences from the regular season, St. Andrew’s scored five third-quarter goals and held off a late rally to win, 10-8, and claim its first MAC tournament title since 2019.

“There was definitely some talk early in the year where we might be in a tough game, and guys are like: ‘Oh, this is kind of who we are. We’re a team that either gives up leads, or might get a lead against a team that might be a little bit more talented than us and we lose it,’ ” Severns said.

The Lions made sure that wasn’t still the case.

St. Andrew’s (12-4) trailed by a goal at halftime, and Potomac School (14-7) scored quickly after the break to double its advantage.

A late-April matchup against The Heights prepared the Lions for this moment. St. Andrews held a seven-goal lead at halftime of that game but needed a late winner to escape with a one-goal victory. That tumultuous second half gave the Lions the belief that they could finish out close contests no matter the circumstances.

On Friday, St. Andrew’s scored just three first-half goals — none in the second period — against a Panthers defense that hadn’t allowed more than seven goals in its last seven games. The Lions needed to regroup.

“We have great senior leadership, and the first thing [senior defender] Slade Summer said [at halftime] is that we’re not out of this,” junior Nolan Coyle said. “We worked our [butts] off and fought back.”

Faceoff specialist JD Nett gave St. Andrew’s plenty of possessions to work with in the second half, and Coyle sparked the Lions’ attack, scoring a pair of goals during a 5-0 run in the third frame that gave St. Andrew’s a lead it would celebrate at the final horn.

The Lions’ experienced defense held Potomac scoreless for more than 12 minutes during the second half.

“Last year it was a lot of [close games], not gonna lie,” senior defender Khari Seals said. “We know how to get out of those situations. It’s nothing new to us.

As his teammates cut bits of nylon from the goal, Seals reflected on what it meant to end his high school career with a title. “[This is] everything I thought it would be,” he said. “Ever since we lost that semifinal game last year, this is all I could think about.”