The 2012-13 Talawanda girls basketball team has earned a rare accomplishment — an undefeated season.

The Braves made the 21-0 record last Saturday with a 66-42 victory over league foe Little Miami.

With the regular season behind them, the team moved on to a scheduled sectional tournament opener with Batavia Thursday night, hoping to extend their success beyond last year’s sectional championship finish.

The team’s 21-0 regular-season finish included a 14-0 mark in Southwest Ohio Conference play in the league’s first year of existence.

Two of the team’s seniors have seen the growth as a team that has led to an undefeated season and they are amazed at the accomplishment.

“Breathtaking, something very rare, a great accomplishment to have,” said Brilyn Webb of the undefeated season. “Our mom said no matter how the tournament turns out, this is something no one can take away from us.”

Her sister, Bristyl joined in, saying, “It shows how we mesh together. There are tons of good teams out there who are not undefeated.”

The sisters agreed that Talawanda has come together over the past few years, not only working on their basketball skills, but on their teamwork.

“All the talent in the world is no use if you do not work together,” Brilyn added.

Coach Kim Richter agreed the teamwork is the ingredient that led the girls’ team to a perfect regular season record.

“They trust each other, too,” Richter said. “They all have a common goal. They want to be a success. It is exciting to be part of a team where they all get excited when someone does something well. It’s neat. They know they are part of something bigger than themselves. That’s important.”

Last Saturday’s win may have looked easy based on the final 66-42 score but the girls struggled a bit in the first half. It was Senior Day and their final home game, so that may have led to some jitters. The game was tied 15-15 after one quarter but a 14-7 margin in the second quarter gave them a 29-22 halftime lead, which exploded in the third quarter when they outscored Little Miami 17-4 and established their superiority.

Junior Ana Richter had 30 points in the game but was the Braves’ primary weapon in the first half, as she had 19 of their 29 points before the break. She scored the first eight Talawanda points of the game including a layup under the basket on a beautiful feed from Bristyl Webb, who broke the program’s all-time assist record earlier this season.

Talawanda also got 19 points from junior Megan Richardson off the bench, who had two three-point baskets in her scoring total.

The game was Senior Day for the team and coach Richter started four seniors in the game, giving Carlee Hendricks, Erika Wilhelm, Brilyn Webb and Bristyl Webb a chance to start a game together one last time.

The team was ranked No. 2 in the state Division II poll this week heading into a sectional tournament opener Thursday night against Batavia at Withrow High School.

With most of the points in last week’s game coming from juniors, the future of the program seems bright and the Webb sisters hope the success continues beyond their careers. They both said they felt something special this season after a sectional championship a year ago and an 18-6 overall record.

“We’ve had a lot of talent every single year, but it seems different this year,” Bristyl Webb said. “Girls have come in and out of the program, but we’ve all got each other’s backs. My assist record would not happen without my teammates.”

The team posed for a group photo after Saturday’s win completed the 21-0 season with that record prominent on the design of the front of the shirts. It is the message on the back that the Webb sisters have taken to heart this week in preparation for their first sectional game.

On the backs were the words, “Undefeated Season: We’re Just Getting Started.”

Bristyl said the team has adopted the attitude that their work is not finished as they end a 21-0 regular season but enter Division II sectional play as the top seed.

“It was the end of a season but the beginning of the next season,” she said.