The Fayette girls erased a 14-point second-half deficit to pull off a spectacular come-from-behind victory over Brunswick, 53-51, in front of a raucous home crowd Thursday night.

Tied 51-51 with under a minute to play, junior Kay Sullivan sank the first of two free-throw tries to put Fayette in front. After another steal by the Fayette defense, junior Addison Powell sank a free throw to make it a two-point game with 17.7 seconds remaining.

Fayette’s unrelenting defense paid off with another late steal, this time by sophomore Skylar Sunderland near the Brunswick baseline, with six seconds remaining to seal the win for Fayette.

“The girls played their hearts out,” said Fayette coach Daryl Betts after his team’s thrilling victory. “They’ve worked so hard this year. Just to finally get things to come to fruition. It’s starting to all make sense. It’s just going to keep growing.”

Fayette trailed by three points after the opening eight minutes before falling behind 30-23 at halftime. Brunswick continued to pull away in the third quarter, outscoring the Lady Falcons 13-9.

Entering the fourth quarter ahead 43-32, the Lady Wildcats quickly jumped ahead by 14 with a quick bucket and a free throw in the opening 32 seconds of the final quarter. That’s when Fayette began to chip away. A free throw by junior Maddox Wells sparked a 10-2 Lady Falcon run over nearly three minutes to cut the lead to just six points.

The Fayette defense, which had made it difficult for Brunswick to move the ball down the court all night, forced a series of late turnovers. And the Lady Falcons were able to convert those into points. Following a put-back by freshman Browyn Eubanks to make it a one-point game, Powell turned a steal into a half-court layup with 1:52 on the clock to give Fayette a 51-50 lead.

“I told them, ‘This is that moment where you give that extra effort.’ I said to play aggressive,” explained coach Betts. “I told them, ‘Whatever happens, we just have to keep going.’ If we get up, we have to try and keep the ball. Really, the girls just stepped up and got the possessions. I don’t think they got a shot up on those last three possessions because we got steals. I just told them, ‘Be aggressive, but watch fouling.’”

Brunswick was able to tie the game, hitting one of two free-throw chances moments later. But the Lady Wildcats faltered down the stretch, sinking just one of four attempts from the line in the final 1:44.

Fayette outscored Brunswick 21-8 in the fourth quarter. The Lady Wildcats made just four of 13 free-throw attempts in that final eight minutes, finishing 14-for-26 from the line all night. Fayette ended the game shooting 10-for-24 from the stripe, connecting on seven of 16 in the fourth quarter.

“We haven’t lost a lot of fourth quarters this year. Usually, the third quarter is our lull because everybody adjusts to us,” Betts said after the game.

But the Lady Falcons got the job done when the game was on the line.

“It was a war of attrition,” said Betts. “Our game plan is a war of attrition. We’re tenacious. At the end of the day, that just keeps wearing them out.”

Senior Preslee Sunderland had a career night, scoring 18 points, nine of which came from the 3-point arc in the second half. She scored two of those 3-point shots during clutch moments in the fourth quarter.

“Preslee stepped up offensively and hit the 3-pointers for us. She came to play,” Betts said. “She has the biggest heart. Her effort is phenomenal. She works her tail off. It’s just great to see her have a game like this.”

Eubanks finished with 11 points off the bench, even after leaving the game in the first half with an injury. She returned and scored six points in the fourth quarter during Fayette’s indefatigable comeback.

Junior Kay Sullivan finished with nine points and was a force under the basket. She came up with a big steal that led to a foul that put her on the line with 44 seconds left and a tied score. That’s when she knocked down the free throw that put the Lady Falcons in the lead.

Powell finished with seven points and sank three of four free throws in the fourth quarter.

“I’m proud of Addison Powell playing her heart out,” Betts said.

Junior Maddox Wells finished five points. Senior Hannah Quint scored two in an abbreviated performance, followed by one by sophomore Skylar Sunderland.

For Brunswick, senior Kendra Zeilstra led all scorers with 22 points with a 3-pointer. Junior Emma Stowers finished with 18 points, two 3-pointers, and an 8-for-9 performance from the free-throw line. Thursday’s loss to Fayette drops the Lady Wildcats to 11-4 on the season.

Fayette has now won six out of its last nine games and looks to even its record at .500 at home on Friday against 0-12 South Callaway.

“They haven’t won a game, but they’ve played tough competition,” said Betts. “If we can pull that off, we’re feeling good, and we’re back to .500 for the first time for a long time.”

On Monday, the Lady Falcons enter the Harrisburg Tournament as the seventh seed. They will take on Class 4 Hallsville, the second seed, at 6 p.m. in the middle school gym.