It was enough to get a subtle fist pump from Kelly as her players hugged just a few feet away.

“I’m proud. They decided to win; that wasn’t me,” Kelly said. “We’re young. We’re not a very good defensive team yet, but we’re working on it. For 16 minutes, they played the best defense they could. We got one defensive possession at a time.”

Kelly’s proven formula for sustained success is a senior-driven group that loves to practice, accepts tough coaching and strives to raise its standard each day. This season, with a roster that includes 11 underclassmen, she has had to adjust.

“We’re young, so a lot of people doubted us,” said sophomore Samia Snead, who finished with 16 points. “But that’s motivation.”

The Yellow Jackets have gotten off to a 6-2 start, but Centreville represented a different kind of test. The Wildcats (8-2), a decade removed from their last district title but replete with senior talent, had been labeled as Class 6 favorites.

The hosts started strong. They attacked the glass with purpose, were decisive and efficient in transition and were intentional at getting to the paint and drawing contact. The Wildcats opened a nine-point first-quarter lead and, heeding Coach Jo McLane’s call to keep attacking, led 33-24 at half.

“Kelly wrote six things that we needed to do in this game, and at half, she said we hadn’t done any,” Snead said.

The Yellow Jackets got the message, turning up the defensive intensity and reducing Centreville’s attack, a battering ram in the first half, to clutter. They pressed the length of the court.

On offense, Osbourn Park was quick and decisive. With five second-half three-pointers, the Jackets led 45-43 after the third quarter and allowed just five points in the final quarter.

“The first half, we looked horrible,” Walters said. “We just played with effort and energy, boxed out, got rebounds and pulled it out.”