That carefree confidence manifested a lead over Cardozo, and the Timberwolves clinched a 68-66 victory for their first state title with a forced turnover in the final seconds at George Washington University.

“People have been sleeping on us the whole time,” Coach Drew Crawford said. “We’ve got guys that play with heart, determination, dedication and focus.”

Idea (27-6) entered the championship game in dramatic fashion after surviving in double overtime against Ballou on Thursday. Its next opponent posed an even more daunting threat: The Clerks (24-5) knocked off the Timberwolves by 21 points in December and were the clear favorites.

But Idea, Hoston said, was a changed team — one entering on a 15-game winning streak.

“They got us early at the beginning of the season, but we weren’t a brotherhood [then],” Hoston said. “We stick together now; we’re more unified. We knew for a fact they weren’t 21 points better than us.”

Idea’s first-half performance validated that belief. Bradley, a senior guard, scored 14 of his game-high 27 points in the first quarter as the Timberwolves raced out to a 17-point lead. Crawford said he knew the Clerks would make a run but also knew his team was capable of withstanding a surge in the closing minutes.

Despite the Clerks taking their first lead with three minutes left, the Timberwolves stood tall. Hoston hit the go-ahead free throws in the closing moments, and senior center Nehemiah Johnson sealed the win with a steal.

Georgetown Day wins another

Madisyn Moore-Nicholson doesn’t show much emotion when she takes the court for Georgetown Day. She’s a stoic leader, the lone senior surrounded by underclassmen, and typically lets her play do the talking.

But as she was subbed off the Smith Center court during a 61-43 win over Jackson-Reed and her teammates and coaches showered her with hugs and high-fives, she couldn’t help but grin. The Hoppers (23-8) had just pushed their lead to 20 points late in the fourth quarter of the Class A final against Jackson-Reed (17-10), and reality sank in.

Led by Moore-Nicholson’s 23 points — 16 in the first half — Georgetown Day easily won its second Class A title in the past three years.

“First practice, I saw the way these girls were working, and I was just like, ‘We want it again,’ ” Moore-Nicholson said. “It’s all about who wants it the most, and I think we wanted it the most this tournament.”