Providence Christian girls reach first DII-A state championship game

NASHVILLE — Providence Christian's girls basketball team didn't appear to be nervous in its first TSSAA state tournament game.

Lipscomb University's Allen Area seemed as comfortable to the Lady Lions as their own home floor in a 56-40 win over Harding Academy in the Division II-A state semifinals Friday.

"We were excited and didn't let it get the best of us," said PCA senior and Vanderbilt signee Yaubryon Chambers. "A lot of times we got (too) excited, and it threw us off at the beginning of big games. Today we were on a mission and we just hit our shots."

Providence Christian (21-7) will play for the state championship Saturday at 4:30 p.m. against Christian Academy of Knoxville.

Every game since the team reached the state's final 12 was the biggest in program history. The Lady Lions joined TSSAA just three seasons ago.

"It's definitely exciting," said senior guard Kaici Bivens, who scored 11 points. "To see the growth we've had from MTAC (Middle Tennessee Athletic Conference) to TSSAA is exciting. It was a great atmosphere (Friday)."

Providence Christian started with a bang, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers (two by Chambers, one by Kaici Bivens) to take a 9-0 lead.

Harding Academy used its defensive pressure to get to within 20-14, but the Lady Lions outscored the Lady Knights 11-5 to take a 31-19 halftime lead.

"Our offense struggled at times, but as long as our defense is taking care of business, our offense will take care of itself," said PCA coach Tara James.

PCA's AnnaCaite Markham scored 13 of her game-high 19 points in the first half but picked up her third foul with nine seconds left before intermission. She managed to stay foul-free in the second half.

"It just shows how well we handle adversity," Markham said of each starter having at least three fouls by game's end. "It felt pretty natural (playing on the bigger stage). We've played in camps and summer ball and we practiced at Belmont to prepare for this. We were excited. .. just ready for the game to start. It was like 'Let's go.'"

Chambers finished with 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Markham added seven boards.

Sage Hawley and Hailey Smith led Harding Academy (28-3) with 11 points each.

But Providence Christian's hot start was more than the Lady Knights could overcome.

"When they hit those 3s early, it rattled us a little bit," said Harding Academy coach Becky Starks. "You already have nerves in a game like this and I think we got behind the 8-ball."

Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.

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