Tennessee’s Div II-AA Final Four Recaps, Notes, & Predictions

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are my notes from <strong>Knox Catholic vs CPA</strong>, and<strong> Knox Webb vs Webb-Bell Buckle</strong> to determine who will face off in the state championship on Saturday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Knox Catholic (27-5) 45</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>CPA (18-13) 40</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a game in which Knox Catholic was plagued by foul trouble, they still found a way to pull out a victory, as they will now head back to the championship game to defend their crown. [player_tooltip player_id='245355' first='Sydney' last='Mains'] played all 32 minutes, and finished with 4 fouls (which means her coach trusted her to play through foul trouble). Mains finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.....on a off night shooting (7-17 from the floor, 0-4 from 3). [player_tooltip player_id='631091' first='Amaya' last='Redd'] stepped up as the secondary scorer and finished with 12 points on 5-8 shooting (in limited minutes due to foul trouble). [player_tooltip player_id='886656' first='Tinsley' last='Walker'] played an excellent game on both ends, and finished with 7 points with a made 3. [player_tooltip player_id='409118' first='Maggie' last='Frana'] is just one of my favorite players in the state: the kid played all 32 minutes, 0 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and high level of defensive energy, smart ball movement, and just a ton of winning plays. [player_tooltip player_id='290992' first='Caroline' last='Krueger'] was limited to only 23 minutes due to foul trouble and finished with 4 points. Sydney English gave quality minutes of the bench for Knox Catholic.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For CPA, [player_tooltip player_id='513275' first='Lily' last='Morrow'] led the way with 17 points on 7-15 shooting (3-9 from three). Morrow is the heart and soul of this CPA team, and their gameplan was solid vs Knox. [player_tooltip player_id='810567' first='Julia' last='Speedy'] had 9 points in 17 minutes of play, as she knocked down three 3s. [player_tooltip player_id='514119' first='Merli' last='Routh'], who had a terrific season, played all 32 minutes, and 5 points and 6 assists. She's been a high-level PG for them all season, and she played her role well vs Catholic</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dycus Thoughts on KC vs CPA:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>CPA played them about as well as you can--they limited Mains and really gave her a tough time finding clean looks (and she still scored 18 in the Final Four...because that's what [player_tooltip player_id='245355' first='Sydney' last='Mains'] does). CPA's game plan was to make someone else beat them--and [player_tooltip player_id='631091' first='Amaya' last='Redd']'s 12 and [player_tooltip player_id='886656' first='Tinsley' last='Walker']'s 7 helped give Catholic just enough offense. And that's what you can expect from Catholic---the defense will ALWAYS be there. Ultimately, KC found a way to win an ugly, low scoring Final Four game in which they didn't shoot it well. And that's why the best coaches will always put a priority on defense--no matter if shots are falling or not....you can be great on D every night. If Knox Catholic holds Knox Webb to 40 points on Saturday....they will repeat as state champs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Knox Webb (21-8) 48</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Webb School 41 (16-13)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I see you Meeya Green! If you know how hard she works when no one's looking, your aren't surprised that she shined in the Final Four when the light shined the brightest. Green finished with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists. Eighth-grader [player_tooltip player_id='825239' first='Kyndall' last='Mays'] had 16 points and seven rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a game in which Knox-Webb trailed for most of, and trailed by six heading into the fourth quarter, they stayed poised and confident, and continued to chip away. It was Green's steal and transition layup that gave her team its first lead at 41-39 with 2:31 remaining in the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Webb School (15-10) was led by Kora Johnson (the sister of former Tennessee Vol Keon Johnson) who had 16 points. Miss Basketball finalist Daria Biriuk was held to eight points.  I really like some of the young 8th graders playing up for Bell Buckle: [player_tooltip player_id='792288' first='Makynli' last='Bacon'] '28 and Alysya Smith '28 will both be major players down the road (and Bacon already had Power 5 offers with an upside that is off the charts). Bacon scored the first 4 points of the game for Webb-Bell Buckle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a battle of Miss Basketball snub vs a Miss Basketball candidate (Meeya Green vs Daria Biriuk), Meeya Green proved to the state that she is a superstar.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dycus' Thoughts on Knox Webb over Webb School:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To begin--well done Coach Hernandez. Bringing Knox Webb to a state championship in his first season at the helm is no small feat. Hernandez has gotten his players to buy in on the defensive end, and that's why they keep beating teams in the playoffs--they are built for these low scoring affairs. They are going to try to hold you under 45, and with Green, Taylor, Ladd, Mays etc....they believe they can always win if they hold under that number.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Also....gosh you gotta like the future for Knox Webb. [player_tooltip player_id='825239' first='Kyndall' last='Mays'] '28 is awesome! They have perhaps the best '29 guard in the state in Ivy Napier (just watch--she's playing up on [program_tooltip program_id='713260' first='ETA' last='Thunder'] '27 Walden). Green and [player_tooltip player_id='821711' first='Cailyn' last='Taylor'] are both young. And Hernandez is just getting started.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center"} --> <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline">Dycus' State Championship Game Prediction: </span></em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Knox Catholic 47 </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Knox Webb 35</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I believe Knox Catholic will repeat as state champs. [player_tooltip player_id='245355' first='Sydney' last='Mains'] will be hounded all night...but she's too good to shut down. She will still get her 15-18 points. The secondary scorers for KC are just too good, and I believe KC has the individual defenders to given [player_tooltip player_id='513227' first='Meeyah' last='Green'] a really tough time. If KC contains Green, I just don't think Knox Webb has the offensive firepower to pull it out on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These two teams have faced off 3 times this year, and Knox Catholic is 3-0 (but all 3 games were decided by just five and four points. Webb is returning to the title game for the first time since 2018, and are facing a team of veterans that already are the champs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Also, is there a better coach in the state than Coach Mains? Man that guy knows what he's doing. He's old school tough, and modern at the some time. He coaches his kids hard like its 2003, but does it in a way that also show care and compassion. You can coach kids really hard once they trust you....and it's obvious Coach Mains has the complete trust of his players and families. AND, he uses social media as well as any coach in the state. He's always celebrating his players on Twitter (sorry Elon....just can't call it X), he's quick to post stats, retweet their club team's shoutouts, etc. I'm not going to bet against a Coach Mains led team....</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["513227"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Green is smart, and has a great understanding of what her team needs.  If you've been following Knox Webb closely, you'll notice that Green's numbers fluctuate a lot depending on what her team needs.  She's constantly taking the team's temperature, and reacting accordingly.  She knows that sometimes she needs to facilitate and get [player_tooltip player_id='821711' first='Cailyn' last='Taylor'], [player_tooltip player_id='1244559' first='Harper' last='Ladd'], or [player_tooltip player_id='825239' first='Kyndall' last='Mays'] involved.rnrnAnd sometimes....she's gotta take over.  And she can when she needs tou002du002dshe got a switch she can flip when she needs to.  And Knox Webb needed all 27 of her points in the Final Four.  Huge performance by a future Power 5 kid.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["631089"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='631089' first='Daria' last='Biryk'] is going to be a really, really good college player.  She came into the state final four averaging 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. She's played in huge games, she's been well coached, and her skill set is tremendous.  I don't think this was the junior season she was hoping for, but, overall she still proved to scouts that her ability to break down defenses, get to the cup, knock down threes, facilitate as a passer when she draws help, and play with high level D.  Looking forward to watching her compete in AAU, because she really thrives in that free flowing setting.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["409118"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"I cant say enough about this kid!  Every team needs a [player_tooltip player_id='409118' first='Maggie' last='Frana'].  Through the state tournament, she's played basically every second for Knox Catholic, and never comes off the floor.  AND, she's only averaging 1.5 shot attempts per game.  The kid doesn't care about scoring!rnrnShe cares about rebounding, defense, loose balls, charges, making the right pass, and winning basketball games.  Players and parents please take notice:  you don't have to score even one point to play 32 minutes a game on a state championship team.  Just be a star in your role, and that's what Frana has done.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65e1feed413dc"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://www.oakridger.com/sports/"></a><a href="https://www.oakridger.com/sports/"></a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->