2024-25 Female Athlete of the Year — Bralyn Peck, Decatur. FILE | WCMESSENGER
The Decatur Lady Eagles’ 22-point loss to 4A Region I rival Canyon in the 2024 regional semifinals left a bad taste in Bralyn Peck’s mouth. The disappointing loss was not how she pictured her sophomore season ending.
“I think [the loss] has actually motivated us to want it more,” Peck said. “I was sad that the season was over, but it made me want to get back in the gym and work even harder.”
Spurred by the defeat, Peck was determined for a better outcome in her junior campaign. The 6-foot post focused on improving both her game and her leadership on the court — moves that paid off in February as the sorrow she felt a year ago turned into celebration after winning the 4A Division I state title.
Peck’s rise to the top of the Lady Eagle basketball program has earned her the 2025 Wise County Messenger Female Athlete of the Year award.
“I think this award really shows that if you put your mind to something, you can get it done, and that hard work pays off,” she said. “Honestly, it’s really exciting. It’s a great way to wrap up a magical year.”
Decatur post Bralyn Peck makes a move toward the basket in the Lady Eagles’ 4A Division I state semifinal battle against Mabank Feb. 25 at Mansfield Timberview High School. FILE | WCMESSENGER
From the first practice of the 2024-25 season, Peck had just one goal on her mind — leading the Lady Eagles to the ultimate prize.
“I wanted to be a state champion,” Peck said. “That’s all I cared about. I think we were all on the same page – we wanted it, and we’d do anything to get it. We had some younger girls in bigger roles, and they had to learn how to step up and adapt to the speed of the game. A lot of them learned quickly that playing eighth-grade basketball isn’t the same as playing on varsity. But us older girls helped them to acclimate quickly.”
Peck also had to step into a new role in her third campaign, becoming the team’s defacto leader after point guard Laken Coffman suffered a season-ending knee injury during the team’s first tournament of the year.
“When Laken went down, she kept being a leader on the sideline. But we definitely needed someone to be a leader on the court,” Peck said. “I tried to fill in that spot by not telling the other girls what to do or how they needed to change, but instead encourage them to get things fixed and help them out.”
Decatur post Bralyn Peck elevates for a layup in the Lady Eagles’ 108-14 4A Division I bi-district win over Fort Worth Southwest Feb. 10 at Eagle Mountain High School. FILE | WCMESSENGER
Sitting at 3-2 after five games, Peck — an Oklahoma State commit — was instrumental in sparking Decatur’s 33-game win streak that stretched throughout district play and the postseason.
“The win streak was so unreal, but I wish we could to go back and get those two losses back and make it a 35-game win streak,” she said. “Even though it was unbelievable in the moment, I look back and see that it was totally doable, and I think we’re capable of doing it again.”
A key turning point for the Lady Eagles’ season was the team’s undefeated run in its final tournament, going 4-0 to win the royal bracket title at the The Championship Basketball Tournament. Decatur claimed wins over Comanche (70-35), Panhandle (51-39), Sunnyvale (57-28) and Canyon Randall (61-24).
“I don’t think it clicked for me until we won [The Championship Basketball Tournament],” Peck said. “Before that, we lost to 5A Denton Guyer — if we had played the whole 32 minutes how we usually play, we would’ve won. But after the tournament, I think we finally realized that we were capable of beating good teams.”
Decatur post Bralyn Peck attempts a close range shot in the Lady Eagles’ second District 7-4A battle against Burkburnett Feb. 4 at Burkburnett High School. FILE | WCMESSENGER
After the tournament, the Lady Eagles sewed up their second straight District 7-4A unbeaten title, running the tables with a 14-0 record.
“District really showed us that our team’s capable of taking whatever’s thrown at us head-on, get through it and win,” Peck said. “Our district can be pretty tough because you don’t know what the other teams will throw at you from year to year, so you’ve got to make adjustments.”
The Lady Eagles were on fire entering the 4A Division I playoffs and racked up wins over Fort Worth Southwest (108-14), Levelland (58-26) and Seminole (46-35), setting up a rematch against Canyon in the Region I final with a state tournament berth on the line.
Decatur punched its third overall ticket to the state tournament — the program’s first since 1961 — by edging out Canyon, 42-37. A week later, the Lady Eagles secured their first state final berth with a 53-34 4AI semifinal win over Mabank.
Decatur post Bralyn Peck (right) celebrates with point guard Style Brazile (left) following the Lady Eagles’ 53-41 4A Division I state championship win over Waco La Vega Feb. 28 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. FILE | WCMESSENGER
Despite drawing two-time defending state champion Waco La Vega in the state championship game, Peck kept the Lady Eagles centered and focused on the task at hand. Decatur dominated the Lady Pirates from buzzer to buzzer, denying La Vega its third straight title by claiming a 53-41 victory Feb. 28 inside the Alamodome in San Antonio.
“We were well-prepared going into the state game, and I think that really threw [La Vega] off — they weren’t expecting us to be that good,” Peck said. “We jumped on them from the start. I don’t think we scared them, but we caught them off-guard with our potential.”
Surrounded by Decatur players and coaches, tears of joy began flowing from Peck’s eyes when she was announced as the state tournament MVP. She finished with 15 points, eight rebounds, six blocks, five assists and one steal.
“In the moment, everything was just so surreal — this was my dream, and now it’s sitting in my hands. It took a while for it to really sink in. It makes me want to go do it again.”
Decatur post Bralyn Peck expresses emotion after being named the 2025 4A Division I MVP after the Lady Eagles’ 53-41 state championship win over Waco La Vega Feb. 28 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. FILE | WCMESSENGER
Following her championship run with Decatur, the Lady Eagle captain was selected as the 7-4A MVP, and earned All-State honors from Texas Association of Basketball Coaches and Texas Girls Coaches Association.
Peck is hoping her final season will result in a title repeat.
“I feel like we know what it takes, and we want to be in that same state championship position again,” she said. “I do feel like there’s going to be a target on our backs — everyone’s going to be coming for us because we have the trophy. I’m ready for it, and I want to go back to San Antonio.”
Wise County Female Athlete of the Year Recipients
- 2010 — Haley Meekins, Bridgeport
- 2011 — Jordan Ward, Alvord
- 2012 — Jordan Ward, Alvord
- 2013 — Ariel Rogers, Alvord
- 2014 — Makayla Mayfield, Decatur
- 2015 — Makayla Mayfield, Decatur
- 2016 — Taylor Richards, Paradise
- 2017 — Lindsey Thorpe, Boyd
- 2018 — Maddie Mitschke, Paradise
- 2019 — Bailey Meyer, Slidell
- 2020 — Jentry Lamirand, Decatur
- 2021 — Zoe Hall, Bridgeport
- 2022 — Jentry Lamirand, Decatur
- 2023 — Macey Jones, Decatur
- 2024 — Grace Knight, Decatur
- 2025 — Bralyn Peck, Decatur
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