COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville Catholic girls' basketball waited a long time for its first-ever title before claiming gold last season, but the Lady Irish waited no time at all to capture its second DII-AA title. KCHS took down Knoxville Webb on Saturday afternoon to go back-to-back in Crossville, Tenn.
Tournament MVP Sydney Mains and fellow Lady Irish star Amaya Redd combined for 31 of the team's points in a 53-39 victory against the Lady Irish on the Tennessee Tech campus. Redd posted a game-high 17 points along with nine rebounds, while Mains put up 16 points despite playing just 23 minutes due to foul trouble.
The Lady Irish led for nearly 13 minutes of the first half, but Webb pulled ahead 20-19 when Katelyn Overton drained a clutch three in the second quarter. Knox Catholic answered in a big way when they closed out the half on an 8-0 run, capped off by a Sydney English three with two seconds left to send the Lady Irish into the break with a 27-20 advantage.
Knox Catholic overcame 15 turnovers in the first half with efficient shooting, and the Lady Irish went 8-of-13 from the floor and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the opening 16 minutes of play. Webb turned the ball over just five times in the first half but struggled shooting with a 7-of-23 performance from the floor.
That same story continued for both teams in the second half. The Lady Spartans shooting woes grew out of the break and the team went 7-of-26 from the floor to finish the game shooting 14-of-49 overall. Meeyah Green led Webb with 12 points and was the team's only double-digit scorer.
The Lady Irish finished the game shooting over 50% and went 15-for-28 overall. The team also shot 7-for-13 from three-point range.
Since head coach Travis Mains took over as Knox Catholic's head coach four years ago, the team has won two state championships, along with three trips to the championship game and one other semifinal appearance.