Sherman head coach Emily Eckwahl celebrates with Madison Emory and Carlie Gable at the end of Saturday's Section VI Class D girls basketball final against Panama at Jamestown Community College's Physical Education Complex. P-J photo by Jason Bower

Looking back, Saturday’s Section VI Class D girls basketball final will be remembered in Sherman for the Wildcats’ comeback.

In Panama, it will be remembered as the one that got away.

No. 1 Sherman rallied from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit, tied the game with 46 seconds remaining and took the lead for good just six seconds later to beat the third-seeded Panthers 45-41 at Jamestown Community College.

“I was still hopeful, but I was getting flashbacks to last year and the year before,” Sherman head coach Emily Eckwahl said of the past two finals when Panama beat Sherman. ” … We’ve been talking to our girls about poise over panic and faith over fear. Our girls just lived that out today.”

The Wildcats’ 13th sectional title sends them to next Saturday’s 6 p.m. Far West Regional at Buffalo State University against Section V’s Elba.

Sherman's Emmersen Crawford drives into the lane during Saturday's Section VI Class D girls basketball final against Panama at Jamestown Community College's Physical Education Complex. P-J photo by Jason Bower

“It’s just an amazing feeling. I can’t even describe it. We’ve worked so hard for it, ever since last year,” Wildcats senior Kelsey Wagner said. ” … This is the moment. We came out and we did it.”

The final four minutes inside the Physical Education Complex were a blur.

When Panama sophomore Jessica Lyon hit a 3-pointer with 3:59 left, the Panthers took their largest lead of the game 40-29.

“It was intense, but we trusted each other,” Wagner said. “We knew in our hearts that we’d come back.”

Panama turned the ball over six times down the stretch and five of those turnovers led to points for the Wildcats.

Sherman's Kelsey Wagner puts up a shot in the lane during Saturday's Section VI Class D girls basketball final against Panama at Jamestown Community College's Physical Education Complex. P-J photo by Jason Bower

Sherman freshman Baya Oehlbeck made it a 10-point game on a free throw with 3:18 left and Teagan Gratto made it 40-32 just over 30 seconds later after the Panthers’ 17 turnover of the game.

After another turnover, another Wildcats freshman, Emmersen Crawford, made it 40-34, and following a pair of Panama missed shots, Wagner made it a four-point game.

“We knew we just had to get to the basket and draw contact if we could,” Wagner said.

Following the Panthers’ seventh turnover of the fourth quarter, Oehlbeck made it a two-point game.

With under a minute remaining, Crawford finally tied the game at 40-all — Sherman’s first time tying the game since it was 26-all with 3:19 left in the third quarter.

Sherman's Teagan Gratto tips the ball away from Panama's Kaitlyn Horton during the fourth quarter of Saturday's Section VI Class D girls basketball final at Jamestown Community College's Physical Education Complex. P-J photo by Jason Bower

“If we could just have a side by side of her in this game last year and her in this game this year, it’s just a completely different player,” Eckwahl said of Crawford. “That’s a testament to the work that she’s put in during the offseason.”

Oehlbeck then stole the ensuing inbounds pass and converted at the other end of the floor to give the Wildcats their first lead since they were up 2-0.

Oehlbeck then stole another inbounds pass and Teagan Gratto was fouled hard at the other end of the floor. With Gratto shaken up on the play, Eckwahl elected to substitute sophomore Madison Emory, who knocked down a pair of free throws.

“She was my first pick,” Eckwahl said of Emory. ” … She has been consistently, in practice, one of our best free-throw shooters, but she’s also been putting lots of extra time in during the last couple of weeks. She’s been deadly, not only from the free-throw line, but all over the place.”

The Wildcats went 0 for 4 at the charity stripe on their next two possessions, but Panama was unable to make them pay, turning the ball over and then missing a 3-point attempt.

Panthers junior Brooke Warner made it a one-possession game, hitting a free throw with 13.9 seconds remaining, but Gatto knocked down a foul shot to push Sherman’s lead back up to four. Panama’s desperation 3-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark.

“We finally settled in. This game is always a big one. In the first half, I think we allowed this game to be bigger than us for a little while,” Eckwahl said. “In the second half, we talked about being more intentional with the ball and cashing in on our possessions a little bit more efficiently. That started with putting pressure on their guards.”

Sherman will be returning to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Far West Regional for the first time since beating Batavia-Notre Dame 35-29 in 2022. Wagner and Gratto were freshmen on that team, which lost to Copenhagen 47-39 in the state title game.

“This morning, Kelsey’s mom sent me a picture of Kelsey as a freshman holding the trophy with me. I just prayed to God that we could recreate that today,” Eckwahl said. “I’m so happy that we have this for our seniors.”

NOTES: Crawford had 17 points, seven rebounds and three steals; Gratto had 11 points and nine rebounds; and Kioko had seven rebounds for Sherman, which shot 17 of 52 from the field, including 1 of 18 from 3-point range, and turned the ball over 17 times. … Jessica Lyon had 16 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists; Kaitlyn Horton had 10 points and 12 rebounds; and Kiera Loberg had 9 points and five rebounds for Panama, which shot 13 of 51 from the field, including 4 of 24 from 3-point range, and turned the ball over 22 times. … Lyon and Oehlbeck were awarded the Heart of a Champion Character Award by Cross Training Athletics and Ilio DiPaolo’s Restaurant.

PANAMA (41)

Warner 1 1 4, CLyon 1 0 2, Loberg 4 0 9, JLyon 4 6 16, Kolstee 0 0 0, Horton 3 4 10. Totals 13 11 41.

SHERMAN (45)

Gable 1 0 3, Emory 0 2 2, Kioko 0 1 1, Chambers 1 0 2, Crawford 7 3 17, Wagner 1 0 2, Gratto 5 1 11, Oehlbeck 2 3 7. Totals 17 10 45.

3-point goals–Warner, Loberg, JLyon 2, Gable.

Panama 13 11 10 7 — 41

Sherman 8 9 12 16 — 45