BY BRIAN HAMILTON
CLARKSVILLE – The King’s Academy had been here before. The Lady Lions defeated this same Providence Christian team 57-36 in the Class A state semifinals in 2025. The team and its fans felt that this would be the year to finally climb over the hump and cut down the nets for a state championship.
Except it wasn’t. Things went awry for TKA early on, as the Lady Lions found themselves in a 15-0 hole late in the first quarter and never really recovered. TKA was able to whittle the deficit down to 11 in the third quarter, but as fouls mounted for the Lady Lions’ starters, so did the deficit.
Four TKA players fouled out of the game for TKA, including its two post players, Adit Kuol and Jenny Bitounuo, as Providence Christian shot 26-for-32 from the line, while the Lady Lions only shot 15 free throws.
“We’ve never had so many players foul out that early,” TKA head coach Dante Turnipseed said about the foul calls after the game. “It’s tough when they can play physical and we tend to not get the calls on one end. It’s hard to play in the post when you can’t touch them.”
The final result was a 68-43 loss, which left King’s Academy with more questions than answers after coming up short in its fourth straight final four.
“I definitely feel like it is motivation to use for next year, but we’ve been here multiple years, so it’s just the same kind of feeling like the other times that we’ve been here and at some point it just has to be enough to make a difference,” TKA junior guard Skylar Walden said after the game.
Providence Christian got on the board first when Eva Birkofer scored on a step back jumper for a 2-0 lead. Birkofer later scored on a driving layup to put the Lady Lions in front 5-0 with 5:28 left in the first quarter.
Another jumper by Birkofer made the score 7-0 with just under five minutes remaining. A pair of free throws by Ellie Melton would stretch the Providence lead to 9-0 with 3:11 left.
The damage soon got worse for TKA, as Kayte Madison Bjornstad made a layup to put Providence ahead 11-0 with 2:32 left. Birkofer then stretched the lead to 13-0 on a jumper with 1:39 left.
TKA’s Skylar Walden (14) drives past Providence Academy’s Allie Melton (2) for a layup in the third quarter of the Lady Lions’ state semifinal loss. Photo by Brian Hamilton
Providence then went ahead 15-0 when Birkofer scored a basket off a turnover with 1:23 remaining. The King’s Academy finally got on the board when Adit Koul split a pair of free throws to make the score 15-1 with a minute left in the first quarter.
“I think everyone was just looking at the scoreboard instead of focusing on what we needed to do and I think that affected us, but at the same time, we just have to be mature enough to realize that the game’s not over at the beginning,” Walden said. “You have to be mature enough to realize what is working, what isn’t working, and be able to adjust to it.”
Alex Anderson then sank a pair of free throws to make the score 17-1. TKA would score its first basket from the field when Kyle Young hit a three-pointer and was fouled. The senior guard missed the free throw, leaving the Lady Lions trailing 17-4 with 31 seconds left.
Olivia Loveday sank a turnaround jumper to cut the Lady Lions’ deficit to 19-6, but Charis Cook would hit a jumper to give Providence a 21-6 lead after one quarter.
Koul opened the second quarter by hitting a jump shot to cut the TKA deficit to 21-8. After another Providence basket, Koul hit another basket to make the score 23-10 with 4:50 left in the first half.
Providence then embarked on an 8-0 run, stretching the lead to 29-10 on a three-pointer by Melton. A pair of Bjornstad free throws gave Providence a 31-10 lead with 3:06 remaining.
A three-pointer by Young halted the Providence run and trimmed the TKA deficit to 31-13. TKA trailed 37-15 when Skylar Walden started to heat up a little bit. The junior guard nailed a three and then made a floater with two seconds left to send the Lady Lions to the half trailing 37-20.
TKA came out strong in the third quarter, as Emily Atchley made a layup, which was followed by a pair of Young free throws to cut the deficit to 37-24.
TKA’s Olivia Loveday goes up for a layup while Providence Academy’s Kayte Madison Bjornstad (23) attempts the block. Photo by Brian Hamilton
Providence scored its first points of the second half when Birkofer made a layup in the paint with 4:51 left to make the score 39-24. Walden answered with a hook shot to trim the deficit to 39-26.
Loveday then stole the ball and raced downcourt to cut what was once a 23-point lead down to 11, at 39-28, with 4:23 left in the third quarter.
Birkofer would answer with a layup, however, to stretch the lead to 41-28 midway through the third quarter. A pair of Walden free throws trimmed the lead back to 11, at 41-30, but TKA was unable to cut into the lead anymore, as Providence took a 49-35 lead into the final quarter.
Alex Anderson made a put back to stretch the lead to 51-35 early in the fourth quarter, but Koul sank a pair of free throws to get the deficit back to 14.
The deficit continued to grow in the fourth quarter for TKA, as Birkofer grabbed a miss and then hit a jump-shot with just under three minutes remaining to put Providence up 20, at 62-42.
Turnipseed then began to clear his bench and substitute his starters for reserves, as Providence Christian would go on to win 68-43.
Providence Christian’s Eva Birkofer led all scorers with 28 points, while teammate Kayte Madison Bjornstad finished with 20. Alex Anderson also chipped in with nine points.
TKA was led by Skylar Walden’s 17 points. Kyle Young was the only other Lady Lions player in double figures with 12, while Adit Koul finished with seven points for TKA.
Providence Christian (27-5) will face the University School of Jackson in the state championship on Saturday evening, while the King’s Academy season ends with a record of 27-9.