Holy Family Catholic was coming off an 82-53 upset of No. 2 seed Maranatha Christian Academy in the semifinals. It continued the momentum by playing tough early on against a formidable foe it's faced in five consecutive section playoffs.

The Fire hung within two possessions in the early going and as late as an 18-13 deficit.

“We had a really hard schedule all year long. Things were up and down for us,” Holy Family Catholic coach Brandon Antl said. “Our goal was to get to this game and have the chance to beat who we think is the best team in the state, regardless of class. We felt good about where we were at and what we accomplished.”

The Lions were missing an uncharacteristic number of layups early on. That changed for a team that continued to force turnovers and create transition opportunities the way they’ve done all season.

The faster the pace, the better.

Providence Academy entered Friday’s game averaging a section-high 82.3 points per game and held Holy Family Catholic well under its season average 60-point mark.

“Nerves are always going to play a factor in any section championship. It takes a lot to get here,” Providence Academy coach Conner Goetz said. “We were just a little nervous to start, shots weren’t falling. We were getting to the rim. I thought we had really good looks, they just weren’t falling. Credit to Holy Family, they made it tough for us to score, so they did a really good job there, but it just kind of took a little bit of a loosening of the screws and we took off from there.”

Providence Academy closed the first half on a 16-1 run to take a 47-21 lead into the break.

The Lions are heading to the state tournament on a 25-game win streak. These aren't white-knuckle affairs, either.

All but one of their 27 wins this season have come by double digits. The lone exception was a seven-point neutral site triumph against current No. 2 in the Star Tribune Metro Top 10, Class 4A powerhouse Hopkins.

“It’s just so cool being able to play with these teammates,” Greenway said. “We run the floor so well and we work on it every day in practice. Honestly, it’s just so much fun to play with this team. I think I’m going to really enjoy this next week of them in practice and push each other, but also enjoy these last few days.”

Greenway finds joy in the “oohs” and “ahhs” that come with a pretty pass to set up one of her teammates in transition. It's hard to get her to take a shot out of the rhythm of the game.

“As dynamic of a scorer she is, there’s a reason she leads the state in assists,” Goetz said of Greenway, who entered averaging 7.6 assists a night. “She just really looks to set up her teammates. Whether that’s a zone or whether that’s in transition, she’s going to try to find the best shot for the team. That’s a great skill to have as a ninth-grader. A lot of people would say ‘You have to keep scoring, you have to keep scoring,’ but she just opens up so much for all her teammates.”

Providence Academy features just three upperclassmen in its main rotation and two seniors. Guard Kyra Miller and forward/center Grace Counts are the two eldest.

Counts scored nine points to go with 14 for her sophomore sister, Hope, and 11 for junior Brooke Hohenecker. Miller had two.

The youth movement is strong with seventh-grader Ari Flies-Peterson scoring nine points and eighth-grader Emma Millerbernd adding nine.

Goetz described Miller and Grace Counts as coaches on the floor.

“We’re such a young team. We have a ninth-grade point guard, we have an eighth-grader starting,” Goetz said. “The leadership and the calm that they show, and the resolve, is just so important. When the going gets tough and the shots don’t go, they’re the first to say ‘Hey, let’s come together’ and settle everyone down. I can’t say enough of the leadership they show.”

Grace Counts relishes her role as someone who's been there and done that.

“I can keep the calm, keep the pace, keep everyone grounded,” Counts said. “A lot of these girls are new to the big stage. Some aren’t, but for those who are, I can be that rock for them.”

Holy Family Catholic features a young core, too. Only one player will be lost to graduation.

Junior forward Jocelyn Land led the Fire with 17 points. She'll be part of what projects as a four-player senior class in 2023-24.

“I’m proud of our one senior, Sophi Hall, she gave everything to this program for four years,” Antl said. “Jocelyn, a junior captain, she’ll be a senior go-to player next year. She had a really, really great year and kind of budded as a leader this year.”