Day two of Section 7 action featured the Mayo Clinic Bracket championship, starring the Sandra Day O’Connor Eagles and the Owyhee Storm (Meridian, ID).

No stranger to a championship stage, the Eagles, the 6A 2024 champs, looked prepared to take down the Storm in their final matchup of the weekend in one of six Section 7 girls bracket championship games.

Senior guard Savannah Helms was executing on offense for the Eagles. With two minutes left in the first half, she connected on a pull-up 3-pointer with a hand in her face to give O’Connor its first lead.

Right by Helms’ side was junior Audrey Bhesania, who led O’Connor with a 14 points per game average last season for the Eagles. She was relentless on the offensive glass, putting her own shots back in on multiple possessions.

But the quickness of Owyhee was too much for the Eagles. O’Connor couldn’t contain the Storm’s transition offense and ultimately fell short, 51-39, Saturday at State Farm Stadium.

Wilson was impressed with his team’s resilience and attributed much of it to the skills they practice away from the court. He has the team participate in ‘Mindset Mondays,’ which offers the girls mental health coaching and helps develop focus and camaraderie.

“Consistency with our group. We talk about it every day. If we can do that, I definitely think we have the talent and the horsepower to be able to make another run,” coach said.

Despite the loss, Wilson was pleased with the outcomes of this weekend. Down three players, they did not let the injury bug stop them from making a deep run.

“We definitely grew,” Wilson added. “We grew as a team. Girls that you wouldn’t expect stepped up. We got some injuries, so it was fun to watch those other girls get put in situations where they had to step up.”

O’Connor defeated Perry 53-46 earlier this year to take home the 2024 6A state championship, the program’s first state title.

Off to a hot start this summer, Wilson and the Eagles look to repeat that same success.

“To be able to be a part of history, I told those girls, ‘You can’t beat that. You guys are etched in history forever,’” Wilson said.