Get ready for the postseason.
That was a focal point for the Christian Academy of Knoxville girls’ basketball team Friday afternoon, and the Lady Warriors accomplished it.
Senior guard/forward Colie Thompson scored 22 points and led CAK to a 55-48 victory over visiting The King’s Academy, clinching the Division II-A District 1 regular-season title and the No. 1 seeding for the district tournament.
The Lady Warriors (22-2, 11-0 in District 1) get a double bye into the district semifinals and an automatic berth into the East Region tournament.
And that gives CAK a chance to rest junior starting point guard Lexi Hammock, who missed Friday’s game with an ankle injury.
“She’s our point guard,” CAK coach Abby Williams said. “She controls the game for us, gets it set up, breaks the press, does all of that. She’s aggressive on the defensive end. She’s just a kid you can’t replace in those moments.”
Hammock, who transferred from Coalfield to CAK before this school year, re-injured her ankle in last Friday’s victory over Concord Christian School. She first injured it during CAK’s trip to Gulf Shores, Ala., for a tournament during the Christmas break and missed four games.
“We probably brought her back too early,” Williams said. “At this point, we’ve decided postseason is the next thing (for her).”
CAK, ranked No. 1 in the state in Division II-A by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association, has won 19 consecutive games since a 59-54 loss at Bradley Central on Dec. 1. The Lady Warriors’ other loss was to Webb School of Knoxville by 12points in the season opener.
TKA (20-6, 10-2), ranked No. 5 in the state, lost at home to CAK by 16 on Jan. 13. The Lady Lions were state runners-up in Division II-A last season.
In Friday’s game, the Lady Lions rallied from a 15-point deficit early in the second quarter and had a 46-44 lead with 4 minutes, 18 seconds left in the game.
“You can’t come out soft and then play from behind,” TKA coach Dante Turnipseed said. “We dug a hole that’s hard to get out of when you’re playing a really good team.”
Thompson had 18 points at halftime when she was 7 of 12 from the field, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range.
After missing her first 3, Thompson made four straight between the first and second quarters; her fourth 3-pointer gave CAK a 24-9 lead with 5:05 left in the half.
Junior guard Maddie Braden added 12 points for CAK.
“Getting that No. 1 seed,” Williams said, “gives you a couple of days to rest while you’re waiting for that next opponent to get there (in the district tournament.) We’ve got some really good teams in this district, with King’s being one of them.”
TKA was led in scoring by junior guard Skylar Walden with 21 points. Walden, the 5Star Preps Underclassman of the Year last season, was 4 of 14 from 3-point range.
Junior forward Olivia Loveday added 11 points for the Lady Lions, while 6-4 senior Adit Koul scored seven – all in the first half – and 6-5 junior Jenny Bitounou didn’t score. Koul has signed with Minnesota.
Walden has several Division I offers.
“We put a lot of responsibilities on her,” Turnipseed said, “but everybody else has to step up too. It’s not a one-man show.”
Walden’s 3-pointer gave TKA a 38-36 lead after three quarters, and her 3-pointer starting the fourth made it 41-36.
Two free throws by Loveday made it 46-44 with 4:18 left.
CAK finished with an 11-2 run.
TKA was 1 of 9 from the field in the last 4 minutes, going 0 for 4 from 3-point range.
Thompson’s layup with 3:55 left tied the game 46-46, and after a miss by TKA, Braden made 1 of 2 free throws, giving CAK the lead for good.
The Lady Warriors made 5 of 11 free throws in the last 3:19, and 9 of 17 for the game.
“I’m just really proud of the grit and the grind that this group has,” Williams said. “We don’t have a deep bench. We’ve only got nine girls that can physically play. Today we had eight, so I was just really proud of their effort and their energy and staying locked in.”
Article written by Dave Link/5Star Preps. To read more on area high school sports or to see photo galleries, videos, stat leaders, etc., visit 5StarPreps.com — and use promo code New2025 for 30% off your first year or month subscription.
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