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‘‘With all respects to Oklahoma City and the teams we faced last season, this is definitely number one on the list now,” said Hamlin, who completed four of eight passes for 47 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. ‘‘That Super Bowl victory was nice, but we had kind of expected to roll through the league last year after Detroit left. To finally beat Detroit after they had knocked us out of the playoffs in 2004 and 2005 is a great feeling of accomplishment. This win shows that we have truly arrived as one of the best women’s teams in the world.”

Cooper departed the field with a cigar in his hand and a grin on his face. Like Hamlin, Cooper also reasoned that Saturday’s victory was the most important in franchise history and he vowed to prevent the Divas from suffering from an emotional letdown in their remaining contests.

‘‘We didn’t have as tough a road last year,” Cooper said. ‘‘Beating a team like the Demolition is a big accomplishment. They’re the measuring stick for all other women’s football teams. Now it’s up to the coaching staff to see to it that we don’t have a letdown.”

While Cooper had cause for celebration on Saturday, Detroit coach Tony Blankenship was upset with his players after the game. In an extended, volatile, post-game speech, Blankenship chided his players for their inability to make plays on both sides of the ball and vowed that the Demolition (4-1) would have to quickly make amends.

‘‘This is only one loss,” Blankenship told his players. ‘‘But now you’ve dug yourselves into a hole. The only way to the championship is on the road. Now we’ll have to go to Sacramento, go to Atlanta and then come back here. That’s fine with me, but we’re getting it done. If you’re with me, get on the bus. If you’re not, let me know and I’ll pay for an airline ticket home.”

In the last two meetings between the squads, the Divas suffered 36-16 and 20-14 setbacks to the Demolition in consecutive playoff encounters. But since then, the Divas have added running back Rachelle Pecovsky-Bentley, who carried 23 times for 93 yards and a touchdown on Saturday.

With the Divas trailing 13-8 to start the second half, Pecovsky-Bentley put her stamp on the contest. She took a handoff from Hamlin and went off left tackle, stiff-armed a would-be tackler five yards downfield and scampered 34 yards to the Detroit 1-yard line. Her effort set up a plunge by Tiffany Matthews to give the Divas a 16-13 lead.

Hamlin struggled late in the first half, throwing interceptions on each of her last two pass attempts, but in the second half she guided the Divas to their historic victory by mixing running plays to three different backs. Her lone pass attempt of the second half did not count officially, since Detroit was whistled for a pass interference penalty on the play.

After Detroit’s Misty Finley tied the game with her third field goal of the night, the Divas responded with a 60-yard drive that required only five plays and one penalty. Matthews rambled 44 yards to the Detroit 16-yard line. After a pass interference penalty gave the Divas the ball at the Demolition 3, Lashawn Foust went left for another touchdown. Pecovsky-Bentley added the two-point conversion for a 24-16 lead.

Detroit regained the momentum almost instantly as it needed only two plays to drive 69 yards for a score that nearly tied the game. The Divas stuffed the two-point conversion attempt and then looked to protect the lead. They went only 20 yards on the next possession, but devoured five minutes off the clock and stopped the Demolition on four straight plays.

It was the first regular season loss for the Demolition since 2003. The two teams have combined to win 68 of 72 games since then.

E-mail Ted Black at tblack@gazette.net.