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BROWNSBORO — Back in February, members of the Brownsboro Bearettes said they wanted to add to the banner collection in their gym.

On one side were nine banners and one yellow one signifying the boys program’s Class A state championship in 1966-67. The other side had 17 banners, including six for state semifinalist appearances, but none for state finalist appearances and no yellow one for a state championship.

“The girls actually have never won a state championship, but they’ve been to state,” senior Paris Miller said during a February interview. “We want to push to try to get that yellow banner.”

“There are a lot of banners,” senior Mekhayia Moore said on that same day. “It’s a lot of pressure, because we’re trying to get a new one, and we’re trying to get the big yellow one that says state champions.”

On Feb. 26, the Bearettes earned a seventh trip to the state tournament — first since 2006 — with a 45-39 victory over Dallas Lincoln in the Class 4A Region II final.

On March 4, the Bearettes punched their ticket to the state final with a 60-41 win over Fredericksburg in the Class 4A semifinals at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The next night, in a game televised by Bally Sports Southwest, Brownsboro captured the program’s first state title with a 50-49 win over Hardin-Jefferson.

“It was crazy,” senior Tori Hooker said. “It took me a while to realize that we actually got it done. It hadn’t soaked in yet. It’s finally become so real.”

There has been somewhat of a victory tour for the Beareattes since they returned from San Antonio, and on Monday night, members of the community gathered inside of the Brownsboro gym to celebrate the team.

“We’ve been treated like celebrities the whole time,” Moore said.

“It’s still just as exciting,” Miller said. “And you see all of the fans coming and supporting us. Even though there are no games, just all of the love and support is great.”

That’s become the norm in Brownsboro.

“There were a number of people at the state tournament and since the end of the state tournament who have talked about how Brownsboro without a doubt had the best fans there,” Brownsboro head girls basketball coach Jeremy Durham said. “That’s not surprising to me at all.”

Also in attendance on Monday night was an 18th banner on the girls’ side — a yellow one.

“It definitely gives us a lot of pride,” Moore said. “We always saw the boys banner over there and they got a state championship. We had a lot of regional banners and other banners, but seeing that big yellow one, it gives us a lot of pride.”

“I feel like we said that, and I know that’s what we were aiming for, but I just never felt like it would happen, and now it’s right in front of me,” Hooker said. “It will be so cool to come in here with my kids in who knows how many years and say, yeah, I was on that team.”

Being a team is what helped the Bearettes (40-2) earn that ultimate achievement.

“The reason we are here tonight, hanging up a banner and celebrating is because we had a better team than the people we were playing,” Durham said. “They might have had better individual players in some spots, but the team won the game.

“It means the world to me. This is just an incredible special group of kids. Our tradition here is second to none, and we’re just thrilled to death we could add to it.”

Members of the Bearettes are senior Rebecca Rumbo (5-11 center), sophomore Khyra Garrett (5-10 forward/center), senior Emma Barrentine (5-3 guard), sophomore Khayla Garrett (5-10 guard/forward), senior Mekhayia Moore (5-8 forward/center), senior Karis Fisher (5-4 guard), senior Allie Cooper (6-0 center), senior Caylor Blackmon (5-8 forward/center), senior Ja’Niya Shay Barron (5-2 guard), senior Paris Miller (5-11 guard), freshman Hannah Stout (5-5 guard), senior Tori Hooker (5-5 guard), freshman Ti’ykeah McKenzie (5-9 guard/forward) and senior Mae Lewis (5-10 center).

Durham is the head coach, and assistant coaches are Emily Breedlove, Amanda Hoover, Shannon Williams, Kyle Griffin, Tracey Barrentine and Kim Fisher. Support staff includes Charlie Martin (manager), Maia Cook (athletic trainer), Landon Dunklin (student trainer) and Ayden Harris (student trainer).