POCATELLO — Century stood in a line, waiting for its district championship trophy to be presented.
The trophy never came, though the Diamondbacks have plenty of district hardware that can take its place. The D-backs celebrated without a trophy Thursday at the Snake Pit after beating Twin Falls 3-0 in the championship game of the inaugural 4A District 4-5 tournament.
The D-backs won 25-15, 25-18, 25-19 to nab their 18th district crown in the last 19 seasons. The squad joined District 4's teams this season for a new conference pairing after leaving District 5-6. There were new opponents and fresh venues, but it was the same Century.
"This is our first big accomplishment," Century senior Zoe Thiros said.
The Diamondbacks did not drop any of their 13 matches in the regular season against conference foes, and that success carried over to the district tournament as the D-backs won all three of their matches 3-0.
The D-backs won 48 of the 50 sets against District 4-5 teams this season, holding their opponents to an average set score of 15.6.
"Their level of tradition, winning and the state banners they have show they are a solid program," Twin Falls coach Andria Harshman said. "They bring a level of excellence."
Century controlled Thursday’s match from start to finish, only finding itself behind on the scoreboard during the third set. The Bruins’ biggest lead in the final set was two points (4-2, 5-3).
But the D-backs responded to falling behind and took a 12-11 lead after a point by Abby Christensen and did not trail the rest of the way. The home team closed the match with a title-clinching point by Christensen, who finished the day with a team-high 14 kills.
"Abby played so well," Thiros said. "She has been working super hard all season. She had one of those games where she let it all loose."
After Century jumped ahead 8-2 in the first set, the closest Twin Falls came in the set to evening the score was 12-17. Century finished the set on an 8-3 run to open the match with a 25-15 first-set win.
In the second set, the Bruins kept their deficit managable but only managed to tie the score once before Century won 25-18.
Thiros had a strong night, finishing with 10 kills and 11 digs, while teammates Lexi Bull and Julia McNulty added 35 assists and a team-high 13 digs, respectively. The group helped the D-backs present an overwhelming offense and a steady defense that the Bruins could not match.
"We have a lot of experienced kids," Century coach Breanne Robinson said. "They are figuring out the game and how to win. That is exciting."
Though the Diamondbacks have enjoyed plenty of success against district teams, the D-backs have faltered recently at the state tournament.
The Diamondbacks won six consecutive state championships from 2010-15, but that success hasn't carried over. The D-backs haven't found state glory since the 2015 campaign.
Century gets its first chance at state Oct. 26 at Rocky Mountain High School against either the third-seeded squad from District 3 or the second-seeded team from District 6.
"I'm feeling really good right now," Thiros said. "The team is really confident, and that is a key. We are fearless and confident."