Ayla Williams remembers watching helplessly as Centennial’s girls basketball team had its streak of eight consecutive state championships snapped last season.

Her senior year ended on a much higher note.

With her left knee fully healed, Williams played a key role Friday night and walked off the court carrying the state championship trophy after the top-seeded Bulldogs knocked off No. 3 Democracy Prep 61-54 at Cox Pavilion for the Class 5A state crown.

“It means so much to me. I just remember watching last year and not being able to do anything about it,” said Williams, who had nine points, 12 rebounds and two blocked shots. “So just coming back, that lit a fire under my butt. And it just means the world playing with my sister and my teammates. I’m so proud of them. I’m so proud of everything we’ve accomplished.”

Centennial coach Karen Weitz earned her state-record 15th title, breaking a tie with Pahranagat Valley’s Amy Huntsman.

While Ayla Williams definitely played a key role for the Bulldogs (23-2), it was her younger sister, Nation, who carried the team through the game’s biggest moments. Nation Williams, a sophomore, finished with 18 points, 16 rebounds and three assists while battling foul trouble most game.

“I love Nation. Nation means the world to me,” said Ayla Williams, Centennial’s lone senior. “She’s my best friend, and just playing with her, it makes life worth it. It makes basketball worth it.”

Democracy Prep (23-4) tied the game at 43 when freshman guard Ella Smith drove and hit a shot over the 6-foot-2-inch Nation Williams. But Nation Williams rebounded her own miss and scored, and then Damoni Poole scored on a baseline drive to quickly push the lead back to four.

Poole became more aggressive in the second half, scoring nine of her 13 points after halftime. She had a 3-pointer with 5:19 to go that pushed the lead to 51-44. Centennial also got a pair of key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter from Sanai Branch, who finished with 10 points.

“Basketball is a game of runs, and we were down,” Ayla Williams said. “I think that just changed the momentum. Damoni’s shot, Sanai’s shot that just changed everything for us. And were like, ‘We’re in this, we’re winning this.’”

Branch’s first 3-pointer came after Smith had pump-faked to get Nation Williams in the air, then hit a 12-footer to cut the lead to 52-50 with 3:15 to go. Branch added a 3-pointer from the left corner with 30 seconds to play that made it 60-54.

“I thought Sanai’s bucket in the corner was big,” Weitz said. “I don’t know if it was the right time to be shooting it, but when it went it in, it was like, ‘Great shot.’”

ZhaNea Burrell had 14 points to lead Democracy Prep, which advanced to the title game in just its second season competing at the 5A level. Smith and Keonni Lewis each added 11 points for the Blue Knights.

Centennial closed the season with 17 consecutive wins and went undefeated against Nevada schools.

“It just restates what a great coach Coach Weitz is,” Ayla Williams said. “And her reputation, everything like that makes us believe in the process and everything that she’s done. And she’s been really important for us.”

Weitz said: “We’re just going to keep building the program back up to where it once was. It’s what we do, I guess.”