Division II Girls' Basketball State Tournament Recaps
Class A Championship
Providence Christian 60, USJ 49 · Saturday 4:00 PM
Providence Christian claimed the Division II Class A Girls Championship with a 60-49 victory over University School of Jackson on Saturday at F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville. PCA (27-5) built a commanding 23-point lead in the third quarter and withstood a late rally from the Bruins (25-6) to secure the title. Kayte Madison Bjornstad led PCA with 17 points and 8 rebounds while shooting 8-of-12 from the field, while Eva Birkofer added 13 points and 5 assists and Alex Anderson contributed 13 points on efficient 6-of-9 shooting. PCA dominated the paint 38-16 and shot 57 percent from the field compared to 35 percent for USJ. Haylen Ayers poured in a game-high 24 points for the Bruins, making 11 of 14 free throws, while Lilly Teague dished out 5 assists. USJ mounted a furious fourth-quarter comeback, outscoring the Lions 18-9 in the final period with a 10-0 run that cut the deficit to 8 points with under a minute remaining, but Providence converted enough free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.
Class AA Championship
Knoxville Webb 48, Lipscomb Academy 47 · Saturday 11:00 AM
Meeyah Green drove for a layup with eight seconds remaining to lift Webb School of Knoxville to a 48-47 victory over Lipscomb Academy in the TSSAA Division II Class AA Girls Championship game Saturday at F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville. Green's game-winner, coming off a steal, capped a dramatic fourth-quarter rally after the Spartans trailed by 12 points in the third period. Knoxville Webb (25-6) outscored Lipscomb 18-7 in the final quarter, with clutch free-throw shooting proving decisive as the Spartans converted 10 of 11 attempts from the line (91%). Green finished with a game-high 17 points and four assists to lead Webb, while Kyndall Mays added 12 points and six rebounds. Blake Maple paced Lipscomb (26-7) with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, and Ava Jarrett contributed 12 points. The Mustangs dominated the third quarter, shooting 64 percent to build a 40-30 advantage, but managed just seven points in the final period. Brooklyn Lowry's three-pointer with 1:55 remaining gave Lipscomb a 47-44 edge, but Webb responded with a 4-0 run, including two free throws by Corisa Lowery that tied the game at 44-44 with 2:14 left and Mays' putback with 37 seconds remaining that cut the deficit to 47-46, setting up Green's heroics. Webb's bench provided a spark with 12 points, including seven from Mary Mac Emery, while the Spartans' defense forced 14 turnovers and the team dominated second-chance opportunities with 16 points off offensive rebounds.
Class A Semifinals
Providence Christian 68, King's Academy 43 · Friday 3:30 PM
Providence Christian Academy dominated from the opening tip, building a 15-0 lead in the first 98 seconds and never looking back in a 68-43 victory over The King's Academy in a Division II Class A Girls Semifinal at F&M Bank Arena. Eva Birkofer led all scorers with 28 points on 9-of-16 shooting while grabbing 13 rebounds for Providence (26-5), while teammate Kayte Madison Bjornstad added 20 points and nine boards. The Lady Eagles shot 44 percent from the field and dominated the paint 30-14, controlling the game from start to finish with a 44-21 rebounding advantage. Skylar Walden paced The King's Academy (27-9) with 17 points but the Lady Lions struggled offensively, shooting just 28 percent overall and 17 percent from three-point range. Kyle Young added 12 points for King's Academy, whose season ends one win short of the finals.
USJ 61, Notre Dame 44 · Friday 12:00 PM
University School of Jackson advanced to the TSSAA Division II Class A Girls championship game with a 61-44 victory over Notre Dame Friday at F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville. Senior guard Haylen Ayers dominated with a game-high 31 points and 12 rebounds for the Bruins (25-5), who pulled away in the second half after Notre Dame cut a seven-point halftime deficit to just two points early in the third quarter. Junior guard MiMi Lee scored 26 points to pace Notre Dame (27-7) but received limited support as the Irish struggled to find offensive rhythm throughout the contest. USJ established control with a 21-14 first quarter and maintained the advantage behind balanced scoring that included 15 points from Lilly Teague and strong bench contributions. The Bruins dominated the boards with a 39-22 rebounding edge. The Irish made a push early in the third quarter with Lee converting a three-point play to trim the deficit to 28-26, but the Bruins answered with a 9-0 run capped by back-to-back three-pointers from Teague and Ayers to restore a double-digit cushion.
Class AA Semifinals
Lipscomb Academy 44, Hutchison 28 · Thursday 3:30 PM
Lipscomb Academy advanced to the TSSAA Division II Class AA Girls' Championship game with a 44-28 victory over Hutchison School in the semifinals at F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville. The Mustangs (26-6) seized control early and never trailed, building leads as large as 17 points while holding Hutchison to just 23 percent shooting from the field. Sage Stark paced Lipscomb with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Ava Jarrett added 10 points and sparked the defense with four steals. The Mustangs forced 19 turnovers and converted them into 18 points, establishing an 11-4 first-quarter advantage and extending the margin to 25-10 by halftime. Hutchison (19-8) struggled to find offensive rhythm throughout, connecting on just 9-of-40 field goal attempts. Ava Jones led the Hounds with 13 points and six fouls drawn, while Helen Donlon provided a third-quarter spark with a pair of three-pointers that briefly cut the deficit to 11 points at 36-25. But Blake Maple's timely three-pointer stopped the rally, and Lipscomb maintained a double-digit cushion the rest of the way. The Mustangs dominated the boards 35-28 and held Hutchison without a field goal for nearly six minutes during a crucial second-quarter stretch.
Knoxville Webb 59, CPA 54 · Thursday 12:00 PM
Webb School of Knoxville erased a double-digit deficit with a furious fourth-quarter rally to defeat Christ Presbyterian Academy 59-54 in a state tournament semifinal Thursday at FM Bank Arena. Meeyah Green scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Kendall Mays added 18 points and 13 rebounds to lead Webb, which advances to the state championship game with a 24-6 record. Christ Presbyterian Academy built a commanding 32-23 halftime advantage and led by as many as 16 points during the second quarter, controlling play for most of the first three periods behind strong shooting from Lily Morrow, who finished with 19 points, and Charley Rae Hutchison, who contributed 15. The Lions led 46-38 entering the fourth quarter, but Webb embarked on a decisive 21-8 run over the final eight minutes to complete the comeback. The Spartans dominated the glass throughout, finishing with a 38-24 rebounding advantage that produced crucial second-chance opportunities down the stretch. CPA, which led for over 26 minutes, saw its shooting percentage plummet from 57 percent in the first half to just 27 percent after intermission. Corisa Lowery added seven points and three assists for Webb while Merli Routh dished out five assists for CPA, which ends its season at 26-3.