MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Four Memphis area teams left for Cookeville to compete in the Division II state basketball championships. But only one, Hutchison, came home with a gold ball.
"I was very emotional that day," senior Kaia Barnett said. "But it was such a great thing to be around and to see."
Hutchison girls basketball captured the first state title in program history this weekend. Most of the year was played before near-empty gyms, but the Sting felt the love from afar with their school turning in from their classroom.
COVID-19 could have taken this moment away at any point, a fact that helped this senior-heavy squad cherish every moment of the journey.
"That's all we talked about. This could be your last one. Make it count," head coach Thomas Jones said. "You don't have do-overs, of course, being seniors, but in these unusual times, you really don't have do-overs. So you got to make it count."
The Sting took advantage of their chance, and celebrated individual accomplishments as if they were their own. Kaia Barnett, currently an unsigned, won Tournament MVP honors. Georgia Tech signee Carmyn was over the moon for her teammate.
"Somebody's got to go get her," Harrison said, addressing college recruiters. "I don't know what more you could want from the girl. She just got MVP of the state tournament. That should boost her radar."
"Just to see like my teammates faces," Barnett said. "Their reactions to everything that was going on. It was such a wholesome moment."
"I can't even describe it. It becomes a family in the weirdest way," Harrison said. "You part ways at the end of the day, you only see each other for 2-3 hours out of the day, but somehow you become very connected."
Soon, these teammates will go their separate ways. But they will always be joined as state champions.
