The Webb-Knoxville Spartans took on the Lipscomb Mustangs in a TSSAA Division II-AA state tournament semifinal at Hooper Eblen Center on Friday, March 7, 2025, in Cookeville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Parker)
BY JESSE SMITHEY
COOKEVILLE — The scoreboard remained stagnant Friday for almost four minutes of game clock in the fourth quarter of a Division II-AA girls state semifinal between Webb School of Knoxville and Lipscomb Academy.
Webb led 37-33 following a 3-pointer by Avery Green with 7 minutes and 26 seconds to play.
Then no one scored.
For, like, a really long time.
Fortunately for Webb, it had a Miss Basketball finalist and Clemson commit who had the wherewithal to kickstart the offense.
Meeyah Green, who led Webb with 15 points, got her team out promptly into transition a couple of times, and that consequently built a double-digit lead to take into the closing stretch.
Lady Spartans sharpshooters Avery Green and Ivy Napier connected from deep in the final minutes to keep Lipscomb Academy’s rally at bay, as Webb posted a 52-47 win at the Eblen Center at Tennessee Tech.
Webb (28-3) will face Christ Presbyterian Academy (23-6) at 4 p.m. Central time Saturday in the Division II-AA Girls State Championship.
Webb has six all-time girls basketball state titles, the last of which came in 2018. Webb was state runner-up last season.
“We have an approach to tomorrow to make sure that we’re ready,” Webb coach Greg Hernandez said. “I think we’ve kind of mastered (gameday) in a sense; we’ve spent so much time on the road and in hotels. We’re like a small college team, with the way we travel.
“Those little things — I hope we stay on routine tomorrow. And hopefully at the end, we’re the ones holding gold.”
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Webb could not have asked for a more ideal start to the contest, shooting 72.7 percent in the first quarter en route to a 17-10 lead.
Webb eighth-grader Ivy Napier showed no nerves in playing in the biggest stage of the high school season, as she had five points during a big Lady Spartans spurt in the opening frame.
Lipscomb Academy (27-4) trimmed its deficit to one point midway through the second quarter.
Webb closed strong, however, and took a 25-18 lead into the half.
Junior guard Meeyah Green had eight points on 4-for-5 shooting to lead Webb in the first half. Kyndall Mays had six before the break, scoring the first three buckets of the night for Webb. She finished with a double-double (12 points, 12 rebounds).
The Lady Spartans continued to have their lead threatened, though.
Ava Jarrett’s 3 for Lipscomb Academy at the midpoint of the third quarter sliced Webb’s lead down to 29-27. Jarrett’s layup at the 2:51 mark of the third made Webb’s lead just 31-29. The junior guard then tied the game at 31-all with a pair of free throws with 2:21 left in the quarter.
Anna Williams’ baby hook in the lane put LA ahead 33-32 a minute later — the Lady Mustangs’ first lead since the opening minute of the game.
Webb took a 34-33 lead into the final quarter after two foul shots by Avery Green. She buried a 3 in the opening minute of the fourth, too, to put Webb ahead 37-33.
Meeyah Green’s transition layup at the midpoint of the fourth gave Webb a 39-33 advantage, and her assist a minute later to Mays pushed the lead to eight.
“When we needed her early in the fourth and then late to finish, that’s Miss Basketball stuff right there,” said Hernandez.
Meeyah Green’s foul shots with 2:35 remaining ushered Webb ahead by 10.
Napier buried a corner 3 with 2 minutes to go for a 48-37 buffer. Avery Green’s 3 with 42.6 seconds left sank LA’s final hopes of a comeback, as her 3 made it 51-43.
“I think they’re a great team,” LA coach Becky Starks said about Webb, “and I think they made a few more plays than we did when it mattered.”
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