Mains and Lady Irish wrap up second state title
By Steve Williams
The Sydney Mains Era is over at Knoxville Catholic.
She didn’t go out in a blaze of glory, but back-to-back Division II-AA state championships will provide a lot of good memories in the years to come.
Mains had a solid performance in her last high school game. Sixteen points and 3 for 3 from behind the arc contributed to the 53-39 win over rival Webb Saturday at Hooper Eblen Center on the Tennessee Tech campus in Cookeville.
Amaya Redd scored a game-high 17 points for the Lady Irish (28-5) and grabbed eight rebounds as Catholic dominated the boards 33-16.
Margaret Frana also collected nine rebounds and Tinsley Walker matched Mains’ 3 for 3 in treys.
Catholic’s only issue was 26 turnovers, including 11 by Redd. That can sometimes happen when playing as hard and fast as she does.
Meeyah Green led Webb (21-9) with 12 points. The Lady Spartans were 4 for 16 behind the arc.
Catholic’s semifinal contest may have been a tougher game. Christ Presbyterian Academy lost by only five points, 45-40. Mains scored 18 points, but was an uncharacteristic 0 for 4 on 3-point attempts.
Knoxville Webb advanced to the finals with a 48-41 win over Webb Bell-Buckle. The Lady Spartans got a 1-2 punch from Green (27 points and eight rebounds) and eighth grader Kyndall Mays (16 points and seven rebounds).
In Division II-A girls tourney action, Christian Academy of Knoxville lost another close one, falling to University School of Jackson 36-35. Colie Thompson, who led the Lady Warriors with 11 points and six rebounds, hit a 3-point shot with 46 seconds remaining to give CAK a 35-34 lead. But Ellen Driver sank two clutch free throws with 0:17 on the clock for the winning margin.
The King’s Academy also was eliminated in the semifinals, bowing to Goodpasture 58-47. Skylar Walden led TKA with 17 points but committed eight of the Lady Lions’ 21 turnovers.
USJ toppled Goodpasture 70-58 for the Division II-A girls title.
Webb’s boys were in a close game with Brentwood Academy in their Division II-AA semifinal matchup, but the Eagles pulled away in the second half for a 63-48 victory. Tyler Tanner poured in 36 points to lead BA.
Point guard Jaylen Pompey paced the Spartans (24-5) with 17 points. Drake Ingram added nine points and six rebounds. Alex Leeth chipped in nine points. Webb shot 3 for 15 from 3-point range.
In the Division II-AA boys title game, red hot Briarcrest Christian hit 29 of 43 field goal attempts, 3 of 4 treys and 19 of 22 foul shots to beat Brentwood Academy 80-71. Fred Smith powered the Saints with 29 points and 15 rebounds. Tanner (22 points) and George MacIntyre (21) led the Eagles.
