In February, after consecutive losses to Providence Academy and New Life Academy, the Maranatha Christian Mustangs found themselves with an average 11-8 record and occupying a quiet locker room.

Saturday, those days seemed hard to fathom.

Fighting off early and late efforts by Nicollet to stage a comeback, Maranatha — located in Brooklyn Park — held on to win its first Class 1A state title Saturday at Target Center, 59-52, and danced back to the locker room, cheering loudly.

But did coach Jim Hammond think a month ago that his team could be here?

“I really didn’t,” he said. “But I kept showing up for practice … and it just slowly turned.”

And the Mustangs’ confidence has only grown from there.

Nicollet twice battled back from deficits in the first half and did so again after an early eight-point gap at the start of the second. But about eight minutes into the second half, Maranatha freshman Madison Lee hit a critical 10-foot jumper as she was falling to the ground, made it a three-point play on the ensuing free throw, and Jordan Meyen followed on the next possession with a layup to give the Mustangs their first double-digit lead of the game at 39-29.

“I was so surprised that went in,” said Lee, who led the team with 14 points, of her basket.

With less than a minute left, the Raiders made one final push. Kasslin Swenson (15 points) and Kayla Wenner (17 points and 14 rebounds) combined for a run that helped Nicollet get within two points.

Hammond admitted afterward he was nervous, but several players — who pointed to similar situations in all three state tournament games this season — insisted they weren’t.

“A lot of the girls were saying, it’s like we know we’re going to win, but we’re just waiting for the right time to pull ahead,” senior Makenzie Lee said. “We just have a peace inside of us that we’re going to pull through.”

Mikayla Payne (13 points) sank seven of eight from the line to secure the victory.

“I totally got more confident after I made that first one, and then that miss that I had, it just went off me like water,” Payne said. “I wasn’t nervous at all.”