Perfect season sealed with state crown
West Valley Middle School’s girls basketball team culminated a perfect season over the week with a second consecutive Class AAA State Championship.
The Lady Wolves finished off an undefeated campaign with a 38-24 victory over Mt. Juliet Saturday at Rockvale High School.
“It was really nice that we kept the (Class) AAA (state championship) trophy on the east side of the state for another year,” West Valley coach Josh Ballard said.
The Lady Wolves finished the season with a 33-0 record and won a second consecutive state title, but the accomplishment didn’t come easily as they stepped up their preparation to defend their 2024-25 state title in the summer.
“These kids worked hard. They all worked hard on their own individually, and we practiced hard as a team,” Ballard said. “In the summer, we went to team camps and we played against high school JV teams.
“Playing that schedule and playing Maryville in the sectional really prepared us for this.”
In the championship game against Mt. Juliet, Emery Cooper, a three-year starter for the Lady Wolves, scored 11 points. Janiya Turner added 10 points. Reese Davis and Reese Underwood had seven points each.
The win over Mt. Juliet wasn’t the toughest game for West Valley in the Midstate.
The Lady Wolves opened the tournament with a 47-32 victory over Upperman on Friday at Stewarts Creek High School in Smyrna.
“This was a re-classification year and Upperman moved up from (Class) AA to be with us in (Class) AAA,” Ballard said. “And they were the best team in AA for a long time.
“So the biggest thing for us was how we had to come back and play after we had played the second best team in the tournament in the semifinals.”
The Lady Wolves ran past Upperman, 47-32, in the semifinals.
Cooper led the way with 12 points. Turner added 11. Underwood had eight and Jaide Patel finished with six.
This year’s eighth-grade class made a remarkable three-year run. Those players never lost to a Knox County team and went 87-6 during their time at the school.
