NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — The North Tonawanda girls' basketball team recently finished its redemption story by becoming the 2026 Class AA state champions.
"Our halftime speech was just keep it up and come out in the third quarter hungry and be ready to play, and that's exactly what we did, and we got like a 20-point lead and we just kept feeding off of it," sophomore Lilly Day said.
"When the buzzer went off, it was so fun, and then we came home and there was a celebration at our school, and it just meant a lot that we won for our city," senior Annabelle Day said.
"Seeing the seniors be so happy because they won their last time, I know next year I'm very confident, I think we can win again, but it was just really good winning this year," junior Maddie Caron said.
And no state championship basketball team is complete without its head coach, and thankfully for the North Tonawanda girls' basketball team, Ryan Bradt was the perfect guy to come in in his first year, winning a state championship while also working as a North Tonawanda police officer, pulling overnights after some games.
"Definitely means a little bit more, when you've lived here your whole life," Bradt said. "You work here in the city and you played basketball here. It's the first one we've had since 2009 when the football team did it, and it's just a special moment."
Bradt, a 2012 NT graduate, remembers that 2009 football state championship like it was yesterday. He understood what taking on the head coaching job meant not only to the community but to this group of girls who wanted nothing more than a state championship of their own.
"They expect the best from me every day, and then that's what I try to give them," Bradt said. "Girls never said anything. Always super understanding and just very appreciative of the department and the girls for just being understanding with all of it."
Good news for North Tonawanda fans. You'll get girls like Day and Caron back next year for the chance to repeat. And on the sideline will be coach and officer Bradt leading the way.
