How Sydney Mains led Knox Catholic to third straight TSSAA basketball title game minus best part of her game

COOKEVILLE — Knoxville Catholic is no stranger to Tennessee Tech’s Hooper Eblen Center. 

This is its fourth year in a row reaching the Division II-AA state tournament. And for the third consecutive season, the Lady Irish will be among the last two standing. 

Catholic beat Christ Presbyterian Academy 45-40 on Thursday, advancing to the championship game. Catholic, the defending state champions, plays the winner of Knoxville Webb and Webb School - Bell Buckle at noon, Saturday.

The Lady Irish (27-5) were led by Sydney Mains, a Miss Basketball finalist, who had 18 points, four rebounds and two steals.  Junior Amaya Redd had 12 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Sophomore Lily Morrow was the top scorer for CPA (18-13) with 17 points along with three rebounds. 

Sydney Mains scored 18 points without a 3-pointer

Mains is one of the most prolific 3-pointer shooters in Tennessee.

The star senior entered the game shooting 39% from beyond the arc, attempting eight 3-pointers per game. Her marksmanship is why she is signed to play at Florida Atlantic next season. 

But Mains missed all four of her attempts from 3. 

“Obviously she’s an amazing player and our job was to limit her,” said CPA coach Becky LeGate. “We did an amazing job of that for about three quarters.”

The star senior scored seven of her 18 points in the final quarter, finishing inside the paint and making 3-of-4 free throws. Catholic’s offense didn’t sputter too much because Mains didn’t let her jumper faltering seep her confidence. 

“I knew that I didn’t have my legs the way I wanted to, which sometimes happens,” Mains said. “I knew I had to score in some way, had to contribute. Even if it was a two-pointer or a floater, I knew I had to attack.”

Prepared for pressure

CPA had a strong first quarter and Catholic’s foul trouble prevented it from catching its normal offensive rhythm. 

Redd picked up two first-quarter fouls. Mains picked up a third foul in the third quarter and a fourth one with five minutes left in the game. 

CPA also drilled a healthy share of its 3-pointers, making 8 of 20 for the game. 

The Lady Lions had a chance to tie the game as it trailed 43-40 with 14 seconds left. Their most important three clanked off the rim and Mains iced the game with two free throws.

Knoxville Catholic coach Travis Mains said the team practices clutch situations often and that the team’s collective experience helps them not be fazed by the moment. 

“To get here and be prepared for some adversity is why we play the schedule that we do,” the Catholic coach said. “This group has played a lot of games together,” Mains said. “ (Senior) Caroline (Krueger) and Sydney have played over 120 games together. They’ve been through some hard games and they were prepared.”

Toyloy Brown III is a Knox News sports reporter. Email toyloy.brown@knoxnews.com. On X, formerly Twitter, @TJ3rd_.