06-03-2025
Why Skylar Walden knew a TSSAA basketball state championship game was inevitable for The King's Academy
COOKEVILLE — The King's Academy girls basketball coach Dante Turnipseed watched as a leaping, screaming mass of purple and white developed in front of him. He pumped both his fists, yelling "Let's go!" while shiny pom-poms flew through the air.
It's been, in Turnipseed's words, a "roller coaster" ride for the Lions, a ride that none of them want to get off. And they won't have to just yet.
TKA (27-7) beat Providence Christian 57-36 in Thursday's TSSAA basketball Division II-A state semifinal at the Hooper Eblen Center and will face either Webb School - Bell Buckle or University School of Jackson in Saturday's championship game that will start at 11 a.m.
The Lions, whose first and only title game appearance came in 2020, reached the semifinals in 2023 and 2024 but lost both games.
"It's like a turning point," said sophomore Skylar Walden. "Winning a game up here means so much. This is our third year and we're finally getting it done."
Walden said she knew TKA was going to win at halftime. The Lions led 27-15, hardly out of range for a comeback, but their leading scorer sensed the momentum was on their side. To Walden, PCA (23-7) seemed devoid of energy, almost dead.
Part of that came down to how the first half ended. With seconds remaining, Walden drew a foul on a 3-point attempt and went 3-for-3 at the line. Those free throws — her first points of the game — were the catalysts for 21 more points in the second half.
They were hard-earned points, as Providence Christian tried to take away what Walden does best. PCA coach Tara James schemed to run Walden, who came into Thursday having hit 105 threes at nearly 40% for the season, off the 3-point line. PCA fought hard to get over screens and close the little pockets from which Walden could let it fly.
With her favorite shots guarded up, Walden simply decided not to attempt them. She finished with 24 points — eight above her season average — on 7-of-11 shooting, driving the lane with great success while only attempting two threes and not hitting her first until deep into the fourth quarter.
"I was trying not to force anything," Walden said. "If I can get a layup, they'll start crashing in and we can get other threes. I was just trying to take what they were giving me."
Wofford signee Brady Branam and Adit Koul worked off Walden's gravity and combined for 19 points, mostly in the paint, while TKA separated itself at the free throw line too. The Lions only committed six fouls as a team and went 15-of-20 from the foul line, while PCA made just one trip there for the game.
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Defending without fouling was an emphasis for Turnipseed, who wanted to speed up the game and take advantage of PCA miscues rather than selling out for steals. That strategy resulted in 19 turnovers, even as TKA wasn't necessarily trying to force them.
"I told them, 'Let's not try to foul them, let's try to run them to death,' " Turnipseed said. "... If they fumble it, then we can get it, but let's not foul and make them get easy points."
One month ago, the Lions were reeling, having lost their last two games in the District 1 tournament. Now, they're a win away from bringing a gold ball back to Seymour.
"The girls just bought in and said, 'Hey, this is not it,' Turnipseed said. "We put district behind us, and we don't look back in the rearview mirror."
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@ and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: TSSAA basketball tournament: The King's Academy in Division II-A state final
