The Webb-Knoxville Spartans faced the CPA Lions in the TSSAA Division II Class AA state championship at the Hooper Eblen Center on Saturday, March 8, 2025, in Cookeville, Tennessee. The Webb girls won 61-47. (Photo by Danny Parker)
BY JESSE SMITHEY
COOKEVILLE — After winning a state semifinal Friday, Webb School of Knoxville coach Greg Hernandez expressed to the media his hopes that the Lady Spartans would be the team lifting the gold championship ball in Division II-AA on Saturday at Tennessee Tech.
Wish granted, Greg.
Webb School of Knoxville rolled past Christ Presbyterian Academy 61-47 in the title game, giving the Lady Spartans a seventh overall championship in program history — and its first since 2018.
Moreover, Webb (29-3) blanketed the bad memory from a state runner-up from 2024.
Junior guard Meeyah Green, a Clemson commit and Miss Basketball finalist, earned tournament MVP honors. She scored 19 Saturday on 5-for-11 shooting. Her early 3-point accuracy set the tone in the victory.
“Obviously, we’re all excited. Last year, we got silver. We didn’t want that again. We wanted gold,” Green said. “I think that shows how much work we put into this season, how much we played together and trusted each other. We’re all really excited we got the dub.”
Zahnyah Rockett and Kyndall Mays from Webb also made the all-tournament team. Rockett, a freshman guard, finished with a team-high 20 points and five steals Saturday. She also proved key at the foul line, where she made 8 of 11 shots.
Mays, a freshman post, finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.
As for Hernandez, the state title was his first as a head coach. After five seasons at Seymour, he took over at Webb in July 2023 for legendary head coach and former Lady Vol Shelley Collier, who steered Webb to six state championships.
Webb returns its entire roster back for the 2025-26 season.
“Listen — I’ve got a really special group of kids,” Hernandez said.
“We’re so young, but they approach the game in such a mature way with their work ethic and their buy-in.”
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Webb led 16-7 after the first quarter, as Green popped in two 3s in the opening frame against CPA (23-7). She had 13 points in the first half.
Webb shot 54.5 percent in the first and its lead swelled to as many as 11 (20-9) in the second quarter.
The Lady Spartans held a 27-17 advantage with 1:23 remaining before the break after a drive-and-dish play from Green to post Kyndall Mays, who had 10 points in the opening 16 minutes.
CPA, though, got to the foul line a couple of times late to trim Webb’s lead to 27-21 just before half.
The Lady Spartans got those points back in the opening 1:10 of the second half, as Mays and Rockett got easy buckets in the paint to push the lead back to 10.
Green’s vision paid off again when she found eighth-grader Ivy Napier open in the corner for a 3 with 3:21 left in the third for a 37-27 lead.
Harper Ladd added a left-wing 3 a minute later to make it 40-31 Webb.
Rockett’s steal and subsequent 3-point play made it 44-35 Webb, and then she added a transition left-handed layup for an 11-point lead some 35 seconds before the third ended.
Webb kept a comfortable lead in the fourth, leading 51-42 near the midpoint of the quarter after Rockett hit Harper Ladd on a fast-break layup. Green’s spinning layup with 3:52 to play gave the Lady Spartans an 11-point cushion.
Green checked out with 1:16 left, her team up 59-44.
Not a bad way to wrap it up. No stress.
“I trust my teammates. I know they’d finish the job out there,” Green said. “So, it felt really good.”
PHOTO GALLERY HERE.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS HERE.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW HERE.