The run to tonight's Class 4 sectional game started almost exactly two months ago for the Helias Lady Crusaders.
Coming off a 16-point loss at Rolla two days earlier, Helias hosted Class 3 powerhouse Strafford on Jan. 9. Things clicked that night for the Lady Crusaders, who won that game 55-45, a victory that lit the spark to the postseason.
"We've been ready to lace it up and just go out and play since that game," Lady Crusaders coach Alan Lepper said as Helias (15-12) prepares to take on eighth-ranked Sullivan (24-2) at 6 p.m. today in the sectional at Missouri S&T in Rolla. "We respect everybody we've played, but we haven't been intimidated by anybody."
The win didn't propel the Lady Crusaders onto an impressive winning streak, they went 8-6 in their final 14 regular-season games. But four of the losses came to teams ranked in the top six in Class 5 - Jefferson City, Rock Bridge and Ozark.
"The kids have to believe and they started to believe in themselves," Lepper said. "We've had some bumps in the road, we've lost to some very good teams, but we've stuck with it.
"It's such a good group of kids, they all love each other, they support each other. It's a team."
It will be the second meeting of the season with the Eagles. On Dec. 20, Sullivan scored the final seven points in a 37-34 victory against Helias in the title game of the Sullivan Tournament.
"I think the girls are looking for a little payback," Lepper said. "I think the girls believe they have something to prove."
Helias played without three players who were in the starting lineup in last Thursday's 58-49 win against Boonville in the District 10 Tournament title game.
"We played with basically our JV in a lot of spots," Lepper said. "But we know they've grown since then and we're definitely a better team than we showed against them the first time."
Mallory Shetley, a senior, finished with 12 points to lead Sullivan in that game.
"She's tough, when she gets the ball, she's going to get to the rim," Lepper said.
Rylee Denbow, a sophomore, added nine for the Eagles, all on 3-pointers.
"She's got a lot of range on her," Lepper said.
Sullivan is averaging about 53 points per game, while allowing 34.6. Helias is scoring at a 50.6 clip and allowing 44.2.
After opening the season with a 34-28 loss at Rolla, Sullivan rattled off 18 straight victories before falling 43-36 to Union on Feb. 13. The Eagles got revenge for both of the losses in the District 9 Tournament, beating Union 54-46 in the semifinals before downing Rolla 43-30 in the title game.
The season records might have some thinking tonight's game could be a mismatch.
"I'm hoping they're looking at ours," Lepper said. "But we believe the schedule that we've played has prepared us for where we're at."
This is Sullivan's third appearance in the sectionals in the last four years. The Eagles lost in this round in both 2017 and 2018.
In the last eight years, Helias and Sullivan have split their six meetings. The largest margin of victory for either team was eight points.
Lepper said the Lady Crusaders aren't satisfied by winning the program's first district title since 2016.
"They're still on a mission," he said. "Their sights are on something bigger."
The Helias-Sullivan winner will take on either second-ranked West Plains (27-1) or third-ranked Carl Junction (26-0) in the quarterfinals at 1 p.m. Saturday at Southwest Baptist in Bolivar.