BY BRIAN HAMILTON
SEYMOUR – The King’s Academy put its four seniors on display Tuesday night when very few local teams suited up to play due to the inclement weather. Seniors Kyle Young, Adit Kuol, Emily Atchley, and Matazja Goins started and made a profound impression on the game early on, as the Lady Lions went on to a convincing 72-28 win over Polk County on senior night.
TKA’s Kyle Young (20) shoots a long range shot over the Polk County defense. Photo by Brian Hamilton
“I told them I wasn’t going to make it all sad, so we wouldn’t cry, because I believe we should get some more home games, but they’ve been a blessing and you’ve seen it,” TKA head coach Dante Turnipseed said of his four seniors. “You see Emily (Atchley) diving through chairs, and Kyle (Young) has been stepping up big time, having Adit (Kuol) here was big, and last year we saw Matazja (Goins) come out and light it up in the district tournament when we needed her. They are a big part of our team, a big part of this program, and a big part of the culture we’re trying to start here.”
Goins became eligible just in time for the 2025 district tournament after transferring from Webb-Knoxville, and knocked down big shot after big shot to help the Lady Lions defeat Grace Christian and Silverdale Academy to win the region. The senior guard tore her ACL prior to the 2025-26 season and in just her second game back, Turnipseed hopes for the same contribution in this year’s playoffs.
“She had been bugging me all week, like, ‘You know I can get cleared.’ She got cleared before the CAK game and we kind of just let her go through warm-ups to see how it feels, and she was like, ‘I feel good,'” Turnipseed. “It kind of hurt us that she didn’t get to practice due to the snow, but we were like, ‘Hey, it’s senior night, it’s a great day to come back.’ We ran the first play for her and she got a layup. She was super excited and it shows. She has a big impact on this team, whether she’s playing or not, but really when she’s playing, she has a big impact for us.”
Matazja Goins put TKA on the board first with a layup to take a 2-0 lead. A rebound and layup by Emily Atchley, followed by a jumper by Skylar Walden, would put the Lady Lions ahead 8-0 with just under six minutes left in the first quarter.
Polk County finally got on the board when Zuri Ivey sank a free-throw line jumper with 5:41 left to make the score 8-2. A pair of threes by Kyle Young would quickly increase the TKA lead to 14-2 with 4:22 left in the period.
Tessa Clark made a basket to pull Polk County to within 14-4, but after a fast break layup by Olivia Loveday, a three-pointer by Atchley, and a steal and score by Young, the Lady Lions took a 21-4 lead. Walden hit a three late in the quarter that gave TKA a 28-6 lead with 1:38 to go, as the Lady Lions led 30-6 after one quarter in the books.
Walden opened the second quarter with a three to stretch the TKA lead to 33-6. Later in the quarter, Walden would collect a steal and race the other way for a layup to give the Lady Lions a 39-7 lead with 5:07 remaining.
Elizabeth Strobridge (10) looks for a shot while Polk defenders pursue. Photo by Brian Hamilton
Loveday grabbed a steal and threw it ahead to Young for a 43-7 TKA lead with 3:26 left in the first half. Polk would finally end the Lady Lions’ 22-1 run when Clark made a three-pointer with under three minutes remaining made the score 43-10.
The Lady Wildcats would not score again in the first half, however, as TKA would end the half on a 9-0 run and leading 52-10.
A rebound and layup by Jenny Bitounou, followed by a Walden three, would stretch the TKA lead to 57-12 with 5:13 to go, but Polk would answer with a 6-0 run, as Ivey, Kali Taylor, and Brooke Pike each made baskets for the Lady Wildcats, making the score 57-18.
Bitounou ended the Polk run with a layup, but the Lady Wildcats would come back with back-to-back baskets by Pike to make the score 59-22 and cap a 10-2 run.
A three-pointer by Camden Brewer would make the score 59-25, but Izzy Jones hit a three to end a 13-2 Lady Wildcat run.
TKA led at 62-25 at the end of the third quarter, but the Lady Lions were outscored by Polk County 15-10 in that period. The Lady Lions were playing mostly bench players during the third period, but Turnipseed said he would still like to see more effort.
“We talked about that and said, ‘This is where you earn trust with your coach,'” Turnipseed said. “I mean, I’m not going to tell you to go out there and not play hard. We still want to play good defense and we still want to talk and do all the right things, but that group that went out there, when they came to the bench, I said, ‘This is your moment to shine and they went on a run on you.’ It’s still nice to see those younger girls out there playing hard, though.”
As the fourth quarter began with a running clock, Goins nailed a three to start the fourth quarter, stretching the TKA lead to 67-25. Atchley then followed with a layup to make the score 69-27 with just over three minutes left.
Young scored a basket late in the fourth quarter and Turnipseed called a timeout to honor the four Lady Lion seniors at half court. TKA would go in to win the contest by a score of 72-28.
“It was a big game to get everybody into the mix,” Turnipseed said. “We haven’t been able to practice, so I said, ‘Hey, we’ve gotta get back into shape and it’s just good to get some games in going into the district (tournament). Everybody played decent today and we were excited about each other, so I like that team chemistry. It was big for us to just get out of the house.”
Junior point guard Skylar Walden led all scorers with 15 points and five steals, while Kyle Young finished with 12 points. Emily Atchley added 11 points, nine rebounds and four steals, while Jenny Bitounou pitched in with 10 points.
The King’s Academy (21-6, Division II Class 1A East Region District 1) will host Lakeway Christian (3-20, 1-9 District 1) on Wednesday night. Polk County (10-8) will travel to Walker Valley (3-18) on Friday, February 6.