How Northview Academy stunned itself in earning TSSAA girls basketball state championship berth
MURFREESBORO ― It felt almost unreal ... almost like a dream.
For a split second when the game's final buzzer sounded on Northview Academy's TSSAA girls basketball state tournament semifinal game against Dyersburg on Friday, Camryn Brown wondered why her team was streaking across the court.
Thinking the score was tied, Brown didn't realize that Joya Crawford's 3-pointer in the closing seconds only pulled Dyersburg a point behind Northview Academy. When reality hit Brown, she followed her teammates into a huddle of hugs.
"I thought we were going into overtime," said Brown, whose 12 points and five rebounds helped lead Northview Academy to the 52-51 Class 3A win at MTSU's Murphy Center. "I was like, 'Why is everyone cheering?' Then I looked up and we were up by one and I was like ..."
Brown's teammate Jordan White and coach Brooke Shelley buried their head in laughter at Brown's retelling of the final seconds. The Lady Cougars weren't expected to be in the position to play for a state title, especially facing a Dyersburg team ― that returned almost all of its 2024 title team ― in the semifinals.
Now the 3A final will be an East Tennessee showcase. Northview Academy (33-4), playing in the program's first ever state championship game, faces Heritage at 4 p.m. Saturday. Heritage (34-2) likely will be without its Miss Basketball finalist, MTSU signee Carsyn Swaney, who injured her left ankle in Friday's semifinal win against South Gibson.
"We say it all the time, but I believe East Tennessee basketball is underrated," Shelley said. "The skill, the discipline, the fundamentals of East Tennessee basketball is really, really good. I'm not shocked that (Heritage) is there and I knew this team had a chance to really be something special when we started."
The Lady Cougars have made a habit of stringing together consecutive wins after a loss. Every loss has been followed by at least five consecutive wins, including 12 straight after losing to Bearden on Nov. 29. Northview Academy's last loss was against Cocke County in the District 3 championship. Friday's win was its sixth straight.
And the final quarter against Dyersburg (28-5) was a shot-maker's paradise. Both teams matched big shots from the perimeter in the final three minutes. No one shied away from taking them. White knocked down three of four free-throws in the final 1:29 on her way to a team-high 19 points with four rebounds. She searched for the right words to express just how surreal the moment was.
"I knew we could get here (to the championship game)," White said. "But now that we're here, it's like, 'holy crap.'"
Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinsontheleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: TSSAA girls basketball state tournament: Northview Academy gains final
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