In sports, the term act like you’ve been there before can take on many meanings, whether referring to an individual’s behavior or even a team’s overall performance.

But is there anything to it?

To Eastmark girls basketball coach Robert Jackson, that notion was very real, witnessing it firsthand Thursday night in the Class 4A state championship game versus Flagstaff.

From the opening jump, until the buzzer ending the first half, Jackson’s Firebirds, who were making the school’s first-ever finals appearance, were shellshocked by the Eagles on Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum's court.

Holding the Firebirds to just five total points in the entire first half, Flagstaff (20-4) opened up a 22-5 halftime lead, and never looked back, cruising to a 44-30 win and capturing its second state title in three seasons.

“You can’t buy experience; you have to have it. This is a first (finals appearance) for Eastmark,” Jackson said. “Flagstaff has got a rich storied tradition. They won this two years ago. Their girls have been in this atmosphere.”

And while Eastmark (19-4) was loaded with jitters, leading to a 2-for-19 shooting performance in the first half, the Eagles were cool as a cucumber throughout the first 16 minutes.

And it was Teagan Martin who led the way.

The senior, who was part of the 2023 title team as a sophomore, dominated play with eight points and eight rebounds, catapulting her team to the 17-point halftime advantage.

“I have never been part of a team that held a team to just five points in the first half, especially not a team as good as Eastmark. That was special. Our defense did that,” Martin said.

For the game, the Eagles’ defense limited the Firebirds to just 11-of-44 shooting, including 2-of-19 from 3-point land, while posting an impressive 42 and 33 percent, respectively, for themselves.

Offensively, the senior Martin finished the night with 13 points and 10 rebounds, tying teammate Sunshine Begoody and Eastmark’s Anna LaFountain for game-high honors.

As solid as a performance Flagstaff had in the first half, the Firebirds were a much different team in the second half after settling the nerves, outscoring the eventual champs 25-22, backed by LaFountain’s nine points.

But the early Eastmark hole was dug too big to overcome, allowing Flagstaff’s hall of fame coach Tyrone Johnson and his team to glide toward that second title.

“We tried not to make this moment too big. I wanted them in the mindset of it's just another game,” Johnson said, explaining how his team was composed from the start.

“We had Teagan (Martin) just talk to them earlier about being poised and focus on the task at hand. With her experience from the 2023 game, she was really able to help the team,” Johnson added.