Championship Showdown- Cut Down The Nets!
In this article:
Well, March Madness is finally here. If games like what took place on Saturday don’t get you hyped, then you aren’t a true hoops fan. Talk about….. Breath taken. Look, I am just going to go into a recap of…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWell, March Madness is finally here. If games like what took place on Saturday don’t get you hyped, then you aren’t a true hoops fan. Talk about….. Breath taken. Look, I am just going to go into a recap of what took place on Saturday at the Eblen Center in Cookeville, TN.
Game #1 – D2-II Championship Game
It was a battle of Knoxville clubs and the place was hyped for this matchup. Two phenomenal future college stars in Sydney Mains Sydney Mains 5'11" | SF Knoxville Catholic | 2024 State TN and Meeyah Green Meeyah Green 5'9" | CG Webb-Knoxville | 2026 State TN went toe to toe against each other. The game was tight early and often, but Knox Catholic was just too much for the Lady Spartans. They had a foothold on the lead for the majority of the game. It was their ruthless defense that forced Knox Webb into 20 turnovers. Coach Mains had a solid game plan to eliminate Meeyah Green Meeyah Green 5'9" | CG Webb-Knoxville | 2026 State TN from taking over. She was coming into the tournament hot and the Lady Irish took away gaps, eliminated second chance shots, and pressurized the ball. Catholic not only had Sydney Mains Sydney Mains 5'11" | SF Knoxville Catholic | 2024 State TN going off, but Amaya Redd Amaya Redd 5'10" | SF Knox. Catholic | 2025 State TN herself got into the mix. Getting to the rim, controlling the boards, she put together multi-effort plays.
Catholic is blessed with both speed and length and it was just too much for the Lady Spartants. They hung in there, but when the 4th quarter hit, it was experience that took over for the Lady Irish. The Lady Irish repeat and add another gold ball to their collection. Congrats to the Lady Irish of Knoxville Catholic. Such an impressive run that will continue.
Final Score: Knoxville Catholic (53) Knoxville Webb (38)
Key Players of the game:
KNX Webb
Meeyah Green Meeyah Green 5'9" | CG Webb-Knoxville | 2026 State TN ( 12 pts, 4 rebs, 3 assists)
KNX Catholic
Amaya Redd Amaya Redd 5'10" | SF Knox. Catholic | 2025 State TN (17 pts, 9 rebs)
Sydney Mains Sydney Mains 5'11" | SF Knoxville Catholic | 2024 State TN (16 pts, 5 rebs)
Game # 2- D2- Single A Championship Game
Wow! Talk about being on the edge of your seat. This game was … well, a true battle of resiliency. I am going to say this, these girls have a lot of heart and how they battled through adversity. I am amazed. That goes for both teams.
Early on, it looked like USJ was going to run away with it. Then Goodpasture came out in the second quarter and dominated. Third quarter, Goodpasture came out with more energy. But in the 4th, USJ wouldn’t be denied. To make a long story short, this game went into 3 overtimes. I mean you saw a last second put back by Haylan Ayers Haylan Ayers 5'9" | CG University School of Jackson | 2027 TN to tie it up at the buzzer in the 2nd overtime. If I am not mistaken, this game had a lot of young pups on the floor. Just think, this might be a battle that could take place for future contests down the road in the same type scenarios.Anyways, when I tell you this game was tight, there were 13 different lead changes and the game was tied 10 times. It was a possession by possession game and executing was at a premium. Both clubs did their business in the paint, however it was the ladies of University School of Jackson that came out on top with the win.
This game showed everyone in the state two things. 1. We have solid young talent in this state. 2. There are some new programs in the mix when it comes to DII-A ball. Both clubs did a phenomenal job. Congrats to the University School of Jackson for winning the game.
Final Score: USJ (70) Goodpasture (58)
Key Players:
USJ:
Haylen Ayers ( 30 points, 12 rebs, 6 assists, 4 steals)
Lilly Teague Lilly Teague 5'7" | SG University School of Jackson | 2027 TN (16 points, 4 rebs, 1 assist, 1 steal)
Goodpasture:
La’zavionna Hawkins (19 points, 3 rebs, 4 steals)
Brooklyn Jones Brooklyn Jones 5'0" | PG Goodpasture | 2027 TN ( 18 points, 3 rebs, 2 steals)
Scouts take:
Both games displayed true grit and resilience from all clubs. What a way to cap off a tremendous basketball season across the state. All these clubs showed what the Volunteer high school women’s basketball scene is all about. Congrats to the winners and to all the young ladies who battled their tails off. We salute you!