The King’s Academy Lady Lions defeated Providence Christian Academy 57-36 in a Division II-A state semifinal on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville. (Photo by Charles Mays Media/5Star Preps)
BY JESSE SMITHEY
Bad starts aren’t ideal in the state tournament setting.
But sometimes, they don’t last long.
And, they don’t always foreshadow the story to come.
Such was the case Thursday at Tennessee Tech, where The King’s Academy Lions overcame a slow beginning only to race past Providence Christian Academy, 57-36, in the Division II-A state semifinals.
TKA will play for the championship at 11 a.m. Central time Saturday against either defending state champion University School of Jackson or Webb-Bell Buckle.
“For me, it means so much,” said TKA guard Skylar Walden. “It’s a turning point for our team, as a whole.”
The King’s Academy (27-6) trailed 6-0 early.
But by halftime, PCA had shot just 26.1 percent from the field. They wound up shooting 32.6 percent for the game.
TKA led 27-15 at halftime — despite leading-scorer and sophomore guard Skylar Walden having just three points on 0-for-3 shooting.
Wofford signee and TKA forward Brady Branam propelled the team in the first half, scoring nine of her 11 before the break.
“Their size hurt us some,” PCA coach Tara James said. “We haven’t seen a ton of that kind of size this season. And so, I think that affected us early on.”
Walden took over after that.
She dropped 21 of her game-high 24 in the second half to ensure the Lady Lions would play in the title game Saturday. She was 7 of 11 from the floor and 9 of 10 at the foul line.
PCA wound up committing 19 turnovers (to TKA’s six) and had its season end with a 24-7 mark.
TKA has one state championship game appearance, which came in a runner-up finish in 2020.
The Lady Lions did make the 2024 state semifinals and returned a wealth of experience back for this run.
That know-how helped the team keep its cool a few weeks ago when it lost consecutive district tournament games, relegating TKA to a 4-seed for the region tournament.
They haven’t lost since.
And that mentality helped them weather the early storm again Thursday.
“That was our motivation this year: ‘Hey, remember that feeling you felt last year when you had to go home?’” TKA coach Dante Turnipseed said.
“Get humble. Come back and try play on (championship) Saturday. That was our goal — play on Saturday. It feels amazing.”