The University School of Jackson Lady Bruins were good as gold in the Division II-A state championship game at the Eblen Center in Cookeville, Saturday.
USJ (24-5) defeated Goodpasture 70-58 in three overtimes to win the school’s first state basketball championship, and it was all hands-on deck.
Tournament MVP Haylen Ayers scored a game high 30 points and added 12 rebounds, but the talented freshman got more than a little help from her friends.
Lilly Teague added 16 points hitting five of the six shots she attempted – all 3 pointers.
Ellen Driver contributed eight, Sophie King 7, Mia Spellings 5, and Ava Barham 4.
But it was Barham who did the heavy lifting on both the offensive and defensive backboards, pulling down a game high 17 rebounds – 6 on offense, 11 defense.
The game ended 41-41 in regulation, 48-48 after the first overtime, and 56 all after two overtime periods, but that’s when USJ got busy and outscored the Lady Cougars 14-2 in the third overtime.
Teague, Driver, and Barham joined Ayers on the all-state tournament team.
