COOKEVILLE - Winning a state championship is special no matter when it happens.

Given the hurdles and challenges of winning one in a global pandemic might be even more special.

On Saturday, the Webb Lady Feet (28-2) finished their historic season, defeating Providence Christian Academy (22-10) on the floor of the Hooper-Eblen Center on the campus of Tennessee Tech, beating the Lady Lions 54-38 to claim the Division II Class A state championship.

"It's pretty special. We've made history all year, with the first regular season district championship, district tournament championship, region tournament championship and now the state championship. Those were all firsts this year," Webb coach Matt Shewmake said following the team's first-ever state title.

Saturday's victory finished what's been a remarkable turnaround for the program, having won just four games a year ago.

For the second-straight game, senior Lashae Dwyer took over the game and led all scorers to guide the Lady Feet to the win.

Against PCA, Dywer finished her high school career on a high note with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

Entering the fifth game against Webb, PCA coach Tara James knew her team had the challenge of attempting to limit Dwyer's impact on the scoreboard.

"Even though they had beaten us four times, we knew what we were dealing with. No. 2 (Dwyer) is a really talented player and she's surrounded by some good players as well. We knew we wanted to try and contain her. You can't stop her," James said.

Both teams struggled to gain early traction on the offensive end of the court in the first quarter.

Following a three-pointer by Dwyer after a PCA turnover, Webb held a 9-4 lead with 3:05 left

PCA answered with a pair of three-pointers to take a slim 10-9 lead into the second quarter.

From there, Webb limited the effectiveness of the PCA offense with a 1-3-1 zone defense.

"We struggled offensively and we have this season against their 1-3-1. I was happy at halftime with holding them to 21 points. It's hard to recover against a team like theirs," James said.

Webb eventually found its offensive traction in the third quarter and opened the frame on a 9-3 run but had to battle foul trouble toward the end of the quarter.

Dwyer picked up her third foul on a charge with 3:42 left and Shanice Simpson-Whitely tallied her third with just over three minutes left in the quarter.

Fouls continued to become an issue as Simpson-Whitely picked up her fourth foul with 51 seconds left on the clock, forcing Shewmake to turn to his bench.

Charlotte Carkuff answered the call as she entered for Simpson-Whitely and in the final seconds, connected on a put-back basket as time expired to stretch Webb's lead to 38-24.

PCA did finally get the offense going in the fourth quarter and totaled 14 points in the frame, but was still outscored by the Lady Feet who finished the game with 16 points in the quarter.

For her efforts in the state tournament, Dwyer was named tournament MVP.

"She's special. She's just a competitor," Shewmake said.

"She's very calm, sees the floor well, knows when to attack and when not to. She's a tough, tough player. I look forward to seeing her at the next level," James added.

Annacaite Markham was the only Lady Lion to reach double figures with 14 points.

Saturday's state championship marked the fifth time Webb and PCA faced off this season, with Webb laying claim to all five meetings.

"They played a lot more zone today. Like I told my team, it really has nothing to do with the other four games. This game is this game. They have to all come in and perform. That mindset kind of put them in the right mindset to finish," Shewmake said.

With the turnaround complete from last season's four-win record, Shewmake says Dwyer arriving on campus this season was the final piece of the puzzle that held everything together.

"It started with Lauren Vann. Shae was distance learning because of coronavirus. Lauren set the tone early and when Shae got to campus, you could just see it come together. She came in and fit perfect with the group we had," he said.

Even in his first year at the helm for Webb, Shewmake hopes the run this season is a sign of the change in culture at Webb.

"This is a historically prestigious academic school. We can do both here. We can excel in athletics and excel in the classroom," he said.

In addition to the typical new coaching challenges, Shewmake also had to account for COVID-19 restrictions.

"Early in the year, we only had four to practice. One kid was quarantined for 24 days. We were fortunate enough to not have any cases, but we were contract traced to death. It was challenging figuring out ways to practice with four, was challenging. We want to be overachievers. It made an extra competitive edge for us," he said.

"Everybody had to deal with it and we tried to make the best out of it. Being at Webb helped. Being a small school and being where we have kids boarding on campus really helped."

In addition to Dwyer's tournament MVP honors, Simpson-Whitely and Vann also earned all-tournament honors, with the Webb cheerleaders earning the spirit award.

"It's pretty special. Not a lot of people in this century can say they're the first-ever in school," Shewmake said.

PCA 10 6 8 14 - 38

Webb 9 12 17 16 - 54

PCA: Anacaite Markham 14, Mariah Edmonds 9, Mia Alexander 8, Abby McFarland 5, Alia Callum 2.

Webb: Lashae Dwyer 23, Shanice Simpson-Whitely 8, Lauren Vann 7, Ava Butts 5, Brookelyn Pedigo 5, Sanai Thomas 4, Charlotte Carkuff 2.

3-Point goals: Webb (6): Dwyer 2, Vann 2, Butts, Pedigo; PCA (6): Edmonds 3, Markham 2, Alexander.

Halftime score: Webb 21, PCA 16.