BY BRIAN HAMILTON
SEYMOUR – The King’s Academy traveled to Chattanooga on December 13 and came away with a hard fought 46-38 win over Silverdale Academy. Many expected a similar game on Saturday afternoon, but unlike the matchup in December, the Lady Lions shot much better and coasted to an easy 25-point win over its East Region foe.
“We shot a lot better than we did down there and we kind of picked up the intensity a lot,” TKA head coach Dante Turnipseed said after the game. “They put a great third quarter together and we were able to withstand that run, but I think we just played with a lot more intensity than we did when we played them at their school.”
Kyle Young goes up for one of her four three-pointers in TKA’s win over Silverdale Academy. Photo by Brian Hamilton
The 77-52 triumph was TKA’s fourth straight over the Lady Seahawks since a 60-57 road loss on January 4, 2025.
The Lady Lions got on the board first when Adit Kuol passed out of the post to a cutting Olivia Loveday for a layup to make the score 2-0. Silverdale would answer on the other end, however, when Kinsley Owen nailed a three-pointer to put the Lady Seahawks in front 3-2.
Loveday scored again on the next possession on a floater to regain a 4-3 advantage for TKA. A layup by Sloane Colter put Silverdale back in front 5-4, but TKA’s Kyle Young nailed a three to give put the Lady Lions in front 7-5 with 5:27 left in the first quarter.
A short jumper and a pair of free throws by Skylar Walden stretched the TKA lead to 11-5, which was followed by a rebound and layup by Emily Atchely for a 13-5 lead. Walden came back down and hit a three-pointer for a 16-5 lead with 1:45 left in the period.
The King’s Academy went on a 15-0 run since trailing 5-4 to take a 19-5 lead. Owen ended the drought with a jumper to make the score 19-7 with 18 seconds left. Walden missed a three with three seconds left but Kuol grabbed the rebound and put it back for a 21-7 TKA lead at the end of the first quarter. The Lady Lions ended the first quarter on a 14-2 run.
“We made shots and when we make shots, we’re a pretty good team,” said Turnipseed. “We tried to get a couple stops. We’ve got to stack some stops and get two and three stops in a row and come down and score. I think that’s what helped us push that lead a little bit further out.”
Walden opened the second quarter with a triple to stretch the lead to 24-7, but Braylee Rabey responded with a layup on a fast break drive to make the score 24-9. Silverdale’s Brooklyn Hensley was injured and limped off the court midway through the second quarter with TKA leading 26-11 and would not return to the game.
A jumper by Walden, followed by another Young three-pointer extended the Lady Lion lead to 31-11. A pair of baskets by Jenny Bitounou put TKA in front 35-14 with just under three minutes remaining, as the Lady Lions took a commanding 40-18 lead at the half.
Owen scored on a layup off a steal to open the third quarter, making the score 40-20, but Walden answered with a three on the other end to push the lead back to 43-20. A three by Walden, followed by a three banked off the glass by Atchley would cap an 8-0 run and give TKA an insurmountable 58-30 lead with 1:26 left in the third quarter.
TKA’s Jenny Bitounou goes up for a basket, while Reece Hoover (5) and Braylee Raby (11) defend for Silverdale Academy. Photo by Brian Hamilton
Silverdale would score eight straight, however, ending the quarter trailing 58-38, as Owen finished wit 14 points in the third period.
“When (Silverdale) is feeling it, they can fill it up,” Turnipseed said. “I wanted to go to my bench (up 20-plus in the second half), but I knew that 20-point lead means nothing to that team, and Owen is really good, so we kinda had to keep our foot on the gas. I told them out of halftime, ‘Hey, this game is not over. We’ve got to keep our foot on the gas or they’re gonna make a run.'”
A pair of layups by Kuol and Jade Dabrowski stretched the Lady Lion lead to 62-38 early in the fourth quarter. A steal and fast break layup by Young would extend the lead to 64-38 with 6:30 left in the game.
Owen hit a pair of threes late in the fourth quarter, which prompted Silverdale head coach Victor Underwood to call a 30 second timeout and begin playing aggressive defense and fouling intentionally, down 74-52 with 15 seconds remaining.
Silverdale was not in the bonus, however, so this led to several inbounds for the Lady Lions. On an inbounds with 8 seconds remaining, Walden nailed a long three-pointer to give TKA a 77-52 win.
“We were just trying to get it in (bounds) and I guess she was feeling it, so she decided to shoot the ball,” Turnipseed said. “We were trying to run a play for Kyle (Young) to get open, because she’s a little bit faster, to run away from them, but Sky just took the shot and I mean, it is what it is.”
Kinsley Owen led all scorers with 27, in a losing effort. The Lady Seahawks only had three others players to register points, as Braylee Raby finished with 10, Addison Goza added seven and 8th grader Emma Dockery scored three points.
The King’s Academy was led by Skylar Walden’s 23, while Kyle Young scored 16 and Adit Koul finished with 15.
The Lady Lions (18-5, 8-1 East Region District 1) will travel to Concord Christian (11-8, 3-4) on Tuesday night, while Silverdale Academy (10-12, 1-1 East Region District 2) will host Collegedale Academy (2-14, 1-4) on Tuesday.