Scottsdale Saguaro had won a handful of boys’ basketball state championships, but never one on the girls’ side.

That was, until Saturday (Feb. 23).

The Sabercats put together a tough defensive effort in the fourth quarter, holding Tucson Flowing Wells to just six points on the way to a 49-38 victory, earning the Division II title trophy at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale.

Saguaro, the eighth seed, finished the season 26-9, No. 6 Flowing Wells 29-5.

“It’s an amazing feeling,’’ said junior guard Casey Rarrick, who led the Sabercats with 15 points. “Truthfully, no one besides those in the Saguaro community thought we could get this far. We had a lot of support from our school.’’

Coach Chris Young felt the tide turn for his team in January.

“We had lost to (Scottsdale) Notre Dame (on Dec.14). They are a good team and they smoked us pretty good (by 17 points),’’ Young said. “We played them the second time (on Jan. 25) and things were a lot different (Saguaro won by 16). That’s when I knew we were capable of being a contender.’’

On the Sabercats went, getting better by the time the playoffs arrived.

With Rarrick and Jelani Huma hitting 3-pointers with regularity and Naomi Reyes, Kayla Mullen and Kiley Davis doing the inside work, the improvement continued.

Then came Championship Saturday.

Saguaro and Flowing Wells battled to a 21-21 tie at the half. Lyndsay Leikem, Flowing Wells’ top player, had 13 points. Rarrick had 11.

Saguaro inched in front through the third quarter, and turned up the defensive pressure in the fourth.

Saguaro scored the first nine points of the quarter and kept Flowing Wells off the board until Leikem (19 points) scored with 3:24 left to pull the Caballeros within 10 points. But time was not on their side.

“Our defense in the second half was unbelievable,’’ Young said.

Said Rarrick: “When you have a good effort on defense, good things happen.’’

Rarrick hit four 3-pointers and Huma, a sophomore, hit three. Naomi Reyes also played a key role with 13 points, including eight free throws.

As the final seconds ticked away, Young did a classy thing and put senior Kaitlyn Quinn into the game. She was suited up despite having missed most of the season with a dislocated kneecap.

Quinn and Erika Kleinsteuber are seniors and won’t be back next season, but the rest of the team’s roster is made up of underclassmen, a good sign of the stability of the program.