But the rematch of last year’s state title game to decide this year’s champion – the 10th time the two teams have met in the past two years – might have been decided by a shirt.

NICK WOLCOTT/CHRONICLE Fairfield High School’s Miles Steinbach raises his team’s trophy after claiming the Class B State Championship at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse on Saturday night. Steinbach was the high scorer in the game with 21 points.

Seconds after relinquishing the lead for only the second time all evening when five straight points from Fairfield’s Brandon Sterling put the Eagles up three, Shelby’s Corbin Christiaens was whistled for a blocking foul with 1:16 left to play.

When he pulled his shirt untucked in frustration, he was whistled for a technical foul. It set the building off, but Fairfield senior Miles Steinbach went to the line and calmly knocked down the two technical free throws and the two for the personal foul.

They were four of 12 free throws the Fairfield senior knock downed in the fourth quarter. As a team the Eagles went 20-for-20 in the final four minutes of the game to seal their Class B state championship, 64-60.

“I’ve been the guy to shoot free throws at the end of the game most of the time,” said Steinbach, who finished with a game-high 21 points. “I’m confident as a free throw shooter. We’re all pretty confident free throw shooters.”

Considering the Eagles finished the first half 0-for-6 from the free throw line, Fairfield coach Travis Schenk said his team’s performance down the stretch said something about their nerves.

“It was test of their will and the strength of their minds,” he said.

Shelby’s Chase Ballantyne started as hot as Fairfield finished. The sophomore was 4-for-4 from the 3-point line in the first quarter as the Eagles sprinted out to a 16-10 lead.

Jake Robison kept the roll going in the second quarter for Shelby with four points. His last was a turnaround at the halftime buzzer to give the Eagles a six-point lead heading into the break.

“I’m so proud of our kids. They played well early and they left it all on the floor late,” said Shelby coach Tom Reynolds, who had no starters returning from his Coyote team that crushed Fairfield 47-30 in the state title a season ago.

Toward the end of the third quarter, the Eagles started to make their run. Senior Jacob Workman sank six straight points for Fairfield, and after yet another three from Ballantyne pushed the Shelby lead back to four, a 3-pointer from Derek Lear as the buzzer sounded on the third quarter made the score 36-35 Shelby heading into the final eight minutes.

It was a shot in the pants for Lear.

Shelby held Class B’s leading scorer to just 11 points on the night, but he began the fourth quarter by driving and dishing to Workman, who finished an easy bucket to give the Eagles their first lead of the game.

“They’re a great team,” Schenk said of Shelby. “Our success against them earlier this year is neither here nor there. There’s not a lot of secrets between the teams. They know what we like to do and they came out with a great game plan. Our kids had to scrap their way back into it.”

After that bucket, the Eagles would go on to score 27 points in the quarter, just seven less than their output in the other three quarters.

Steinbach tied the game at 43 with a great move past the Coyote defense for a bucket and the Eagles took the lead on the Sterling three.

Aided by the infamous technical, Fairfield held on.

“That was a backbreaker,” Reynolds said of the technical. “It’s too bad it came down to that. But give Fairfield credit. They’re a great team and they shot well down the stretch.”

Fairfield 64, Shelby 60

Shelby 16 10 10 24 – 60

Fairfield 10 10 15 29 – 64

Shelby — Chase Ballantyne 6-10 0-0 17, Chase White 3-12 2-2 10, Matt Flesch 2-3 0-1 4, Casey Nickol 4-8 2-3 10, Corbin Christiaens 0-3 0-0 0, JakeRobison 8-17 2-3 19, Zachary Haynes 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-53 6-9 60

Fairfield — Miles Steinbach 4-10 13-14 21, Derek Lear 4-12 2-3 11, Taylor Ratliff 3-9 1-5 7, Brandon Sterling 1-3 2-2 5, Marshall Murray 1-4 2-3 4, Mickey Miller 4-7 0-0 8, Jacob Workman 3-5 2-2 8. Totals 20-50 22-29 64

3-point goals: Shelby 8-20 (Ballantyne 5-8, White 2-9, Robison 1-2, Christians 0-1); Fairfield 2-12 (Lear 1-6, Sterling 1-2, Steinbach 0-1, Ratliff 0-1, Murray 0-2). Rebounds: Shelby 38 (Robison 7); Fairfield 30 (Steinbach 6). Assist: Shelby 16 (White 4); Fairfield 10 (Steinbach 3, Murray 3). Steals: Shelby 3 (Nickol 2); Fairfield 10 (Lear 2, Ratliff 2, Murray 2, Workman 2 ). Blocks: Shelby 1 (Robison); Fairfield 2 (Ratliff, Miller). Turnovers: Shelby 17, Fairfield 9. Total fouls: Shelby 21, Fairfield 14. Fouled out: Haynes.