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Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why Webb star Dasha Biriuk's second TSSAA girls basketball state title means so much more than the first
COOKEVILLE ― Dasha Biriuk's future is set. The 6-foot-2 Webb School - Bell Buckle senior is heading to Columbus, Ohio, this summer after signing with Ohio State basketball last fall. But Biriuk had to fix a lingering irritant that's been gnawing at the competitive spirit that drew the attention of college coaches to begin with. Biriuk was on a redemption tour, of sorts, trying to erase the heartbreak of last year's TSSAA girls basketball state championship loss in Division II-AA to Knoxville Catholic. Her 26-point, 10-rebound performance Saturday in the DII-A title game finally put to rest the unease of last year's result as Webb knocked off The King's Academy, 66-59, to capture the school's fourth title in five years at Tennessee Tech's Hooper Eblen Center. "This is my second ring and it was my goal to win my senior year and it's just a great feeling because I wanted to win a ring. I wanted to win state," said Biriuk, whose team finished 28-7. "We did it." Biriuk arrived after Webb's first two titles, and her role on the 2023 state title team was limited. "My first year when I got here (to Webb) there were great players that all went Big Ten or SEC and great schools," Biriuk said. "I was not a main player on the court. I was a sub. I was enjoying being there. Webb won three rings in a row and then lost it (last year) and that was really upsetting. "We were really close to winning that game last year and we just lost it in the last two minutes. That feeling, it's just so hard to tell you how bad it felt." As Biriuk's star began to rise and colleges began to offer the Ukraine native, a larger role on the team formed. Offseason work led to better team chemistry and allowed first-year Webb coach Brody Curry to feel comfortable leaning on Biriuk. She was brilliant in Webb's double overtime win against defending DII-A state champs USJ Thursday, scoring 26 points. TSSAA GIRLS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT How Ohio State signee Dasha Biriuk outdueled Lady Vols target Haylen Ayers "Our offense is designed to let people do what they do well," Curry said. "So anybody that wants to come play with us you're going to be able to come do what you do well. Dasha does a lot of different things well so it gives her a lot of flexibility to make plays. And it's obvious we don't win that state championship without her." The smile on Biriuk's face Saturday had little to do with her championship game MVP honor, or her selection on the DII-A All Tournament team. She'll arrive at Ohio State this summer the right way. "I'm so excited to go to Columbus," she said. "I'm going to miss Webb. Columbus is a great place. Ohio State has a great coach and I'm going to work hard until I go there in June or July. But I'm going to take (some) rest and just enjoy this." Reach sports writer George Robinson at and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA basketball: Webb star Dasha Biriuk caps career with second title
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How Ohio State signee Dasha Biriuk outdueled Lady Vols target Haylen Ayers in TSSAA basketball semifinal
COOKEVILLE — It's not an impression anyone would have gotten from watching Thursday's TSSAA Division II-A semifinal, but Dasha Biriuk and Haylen Ayers are good friends. Their relationship, though, probably explains a lot about Webb School - Bell Buckle's win over University School of Jackson, a 64-57 instant classic in double overtime in which two Miss Basketball finalists gave everything they had. The stakes brought it out of them. Ayers, who won the award last year, racked up 40 points and 13 rebounds for USJ, going 13-for-24 from the field. Biriuk finished with 26 points, three rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks, but the senior was content to be statistically outdueled, as it's her team that will face The King's Academy at 11 a.m. in Saturday's state championship game. "On the court, we're not friends," Biriuk said of Ayers, a 5-star who 247Sports ranks as the No. 3 sophomore in the country and holds offers from schools like UConn, Tennessee and Texas. "It was a great feeling to play against her. I really wanted to play against her, especially since it's my senior year. I'm so happy I experienced it. It was a great game. She did so good." Webb (27-7) is making its fifth consecutive state tournament appearance, which includes three championships from 2021-23 and a semifinal appearance last season. It was a frustrating campaign for the Feet, one in which they only played four home games due to scheduling quirks that resulted from a move to DII-AA, and they left the Hooper Eblen Center after last February's loss to Knoxville Catholic with one goal: a gold ball. Back in DII-A this season, Webb made a statement in taking down the defending state champions. Biriuk, an Ohio State signee, started slow — the Feet trailed 13-6 after the first quarter with their best player scoreless — but turned things around with a nine-point second quarter that pulled Webb within one at halftime. MORE: TSSAA basketball state tournament: Division II championships brackets USJ (26-4) spent most of the game in the drivers' seat. The Feet only led for 3:38 in regulation. Webb coach Brody Curry said that had it been earlier in the season, his team would have been more affected by facing a deficit. Instead, they answered every Ayers highlight with one of their own. Biriuk had the bulk of them, including a deep 3-pointer with 40 seconds left in the first overtime that tied the game at 55. The Feet didn't trail after that. "She's an all-around good player," Ayers said. "She makes tough shots. Towards the end of the game, that's a big shot that a big player makes in a big moment. Hats off to her." Biriuk and her teammates gave just as much respect for Ayers — Curry called her a "warrior." She rolled her ankle in the first half, forcing her into her only bench spell of the game. It lasted just a minute. Afterwards, she scored 18 points in the second half and five more in overtime. The result didn't go her way, but the duel between stars went as advertised. "It's just the mentality you have from the start," Ayers said. "You're under the biggest lights ... It's a confidence booster to play in this type of game." Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@ and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA basketball state tournament: Dasha Biriuk, Webb School advance
