Knox Catholic girls basketball wins first state championship behind MVP Sydney Mains

COOKEVILLE - Before Knoxville Catholic players rushed the court at the Eblen Center, senior guard Jazmine Willams hugged her best friend: star junior guard Sydney Mains. 

The hug was symbolic. It was the embodiment of satisfaction that the hard work finally paid off. They accomplished something no other Lady Irish girls basketball team before them could do. Win a state championship. 

Catholic (21-12) defeated Ensworth, the defending champions, 64-59 in the TSSAA Division II-AA BlueCross Girls Basketball Championship game at Tennessee Tech on Saturday. Prior to the win, the Lady Irish had only been a runner-up in the state tournament. 

“We got a silver ball (in 2021) and we turned that silver into a gold,” said Catholic coach Travis Mains, who is also Sydney's father.

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Sydney Mains finished with 33 points and six rebounds. She made 12 of 15 free throws, eight of 16 shots and five of nine 3-pointers, winning tournament MVP. Ensworth’s Jaloni Cambridge finished with a season-high 41 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.

To understand the season Catholic put together, Travis Mains said that you should know that above all else his team is persistent. 

Mains recalled a game where they lost to Bradley Central in a blowout in December and the struggles the Lady Irish had starting the season 2-6. 

“I got mad and told them I was going to help the boys,” Travis Mains said. “It was so frustrating, very hard but we kept showing up doing the work. 

“They work so hard and good things happen to people who persevered … I hope they use this for the rest of their lives to dictate that nothing can stop them if they want to do something. 

While the final result came to fruition, the game started the worst way possible.

Cambridge, the No. 1 junior in the country, scored Ensworth's first eight points, helping the Lady Tigers get out to a 10-0 start with 5:29 left in the first quarter. 

Catholic did not crumble after the avalanche of Cambridge points. The Lady Irish received a boost from sophomore forward Amaya Redd off the bench. who pushed the ball aggressively after Ensworth (27-5) misses and scored around the basket. She finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. 

Catholic went on a 13-2 scoring run fueled by Mains’ perfect free-throw shooting and Redd’s interior scores. 

The Lady Irish received another boost, this time from freshman guard Evaiya Mitchell, who scored seven straight points, reigniting the offense and combating Cambridge’s constant fastbreak scores. 

Catholic led 60-56 after Mains made two free throws with 1:27 left in the game. 

For the remainder of the game, the Lady Irish forced Cambridge to settle for difficult shots that more often than not missed. 

Mains had the pleasure of winning the game with her dad as coach and mom as assistant, which is special to her.

"It's a great feeling, kind of having that bond with him, taking what he says and taking the tone out of it is kind of the way that separates the father and the coach part.

"To be able to achieve that for (our seniors) and also for us in our school ... its a very surreal feeling."