BIRMINGHAM — The unmistakable pride in Tammy West’s voice could have been recognized back in Cold Springs.

But if for some reason it couldn’t, the mile-wide smiles adorning her players’ faces told the story — one that began in November and one in which the Lady Eagles penned their latest chapter on Wednesday.

Maci Brown netted a team-high 21 points to spearhead a group of four double-digit scorers, Cold Springs showed off its resiliency time and time again, and the Class 2A No. 1 Blue and Gold took down No. 9 Francis Marion 70-60 inside Bill Harris Arena to win the Central Regional Tournament and secure a spot in the Final Four next week.

“We talked about it on the way down here — this group wins,” said Cold Springs coach Tammy West, who secured her seventh Final Four berth. “It’s like they have so much composure, even though they’re young and inexperienced on this stage. But they have come through it, and I’m so proud of them. I’m also so proud of our crowd and community today.”

Brown, meanwhile, was excited to see her team’s perseverance pay off.

“We have kept on working and kept on working, and it’s so rewarding for us to get to go to the Final Four and show everyone that we’re capable of this and how last year wasn’t who Cold Springs is,” she said.

The Lady Eagles came out firing on all cylinders, with Ella Bruer swishing three 3-pointers to help stake her team to a 19-7 lead at the 1:08 mark of the first quarter.

Unfortunately for Cold Springs, however, the shots stopped falling for a bit after the hot start — and Francis Marion took full advantage.

The Lady Rams reeled off a 19-8 run over the next 9:02 of game time to pull to within one before Brown drained a half-court buzzer beater to give the Lady Eagles a 30-26 halftime advantage.

Cold Springs had made just two of its previous 13 shot attempts — and had committed nine turnovers — before Brown’s long-distance response.

“I was very surprised it went in, because I was really far back and someone was guarding me, too. But we sometimes practice that shot for fun.” Brown said.

That unexpected gift set the stage for an up-and-down third quarter.

The Lady Rams scored the first nine points before the Blue and Gold answered with a 7-0 spurt to retake the lead.

After a Francis Marion bucket tied the score once more, the Lady Eagles countered with a 10-0 run (Ciara Calvert tallied five points, Bruer drained a 3, and Ella Dickerson notched a layup) to command a 47-37 advantage that eventually resulted — following an extremely fast-paced stretch of gameplay — in a 52-45 cushion entering the final period.

“Every time I would look at them, they didn’t look rattled,” West said. “They were encouraging each other. They had more energy. They were talking. They never seemed nervous, so I never got nervous.”

Unsurprisingly, the teams continued to trade blows over the final eight minutes.

And, unsurprisingly, the Blue and Gold (30-2) matched their foe punch for punch.

The Lady Rams trimmed their deficit to four (54-50) early in the quarter, but Cold Springs once again showed its mental fortitude, putting together seven straight points (Kenady Graves sank a layup, Calvert tickled the twine on a trey, and Brown netted a pair of free throws) to give their squad an 11-point lead with 4:39 remaining.

And even though Francis Marion continued to nip at the heels of the Lady Eagles down the stretch, Cold Springs got enough stops and made enough free throws to salt away its most grueling victory of the season.

“I think it shows a lot of character,” Brown said. “That even though things might go bad for us, we have the players and the skill to keep pushing when they respond.”

Brown tallied 11 assists to cement her double-double, while Dickerson (10 points and 10 rebounds) produced one of her own. Bruer, meanwhile, went 5-for-8 from beyond the arc to finish with 18 points, and Calvert (12 points), Malaya Taylor (seven) and Graves (two) rounded out the offensive contributions. Taylor also pulled down 15 rebounds.

Brown was named Central Regional MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Bruer and Dickerson.

The latter recalled soaking up the win as the time ticked off the clock.

“I just thought about how all the countless hours in the gym and watching film are coming to life,” Dickerson, a freshman, said. “Everything we’ve worked for … our dream is to win a state championship. To see all the people out there supporting us this whole time and loving us — it means a lot.”

Added Bruer: “It was really exciting playing with the community behind us. That’s really big. But we still have to push every day if we’re going for a state championship. Even when this season is over, we have to push every day to get back to this position next year.”

Le’Naya Essex (23 points) and LaChelsea Moore (22) paced Francis Marion (27-2) offensively and joined the Cold Springs trio on the All-Tournament Team.

With the hardware firmly in hand, the Lady Eagles and their coach didn’t take too long in thinking about what’s next.

Cold Springs will face off against No. 3 Lanett (24-2), which beat No. 7 Ider 52-46 to win the Northeast Regional Tournament, in the state semifinals on Monday at 6 p.m. The game will be contested at Legacy Arena.

“(Assistant) coach (Paige) Adams has told them all year about how awesome the experience is and how awesome it is to earn what you’ve worked hard for,” West said. “I don’t think they’ve realized what’s ahead of them, but we are taking it game by game. I can’t wait to see their faces when they get to experience some of the things that our other teams have gotten to experience in the past.”