TSI Select 6th Grade Girls Capture Bracket Sportz National Championship

Sometimes championship runs don't begin with a trophy. Sometimes they begin with a tough lesson.

That was exactly the case for the TSI Select 6th Grade Girls this past weekend at the Bracket Sportz National Championships in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. After dropping their opening pool play game, the girls never blinked. Instead, they responded with grit, toughness, and a whole lot of heart, rattling off four straight victories to bring a National Championship back home to Southern Indiana.

Game 1 – Clutch Elite 19, TSI Select 15

The weekend opened with a defensive battle against a very talented Clutch Elite squad. The game featured several lead changes before Clutch Elite connected on two late three-pointers to pull away.

Even in the loss, TSI showed they were ready to compete.

Leading Scorers

• Bree Riley (Crothersville) – 4 points

• Breanna Harden (Madison) – 4 points

• Kyleigh Densford (Scottsburg) – 4 points

Assists

• Kinzleigh Cross (Scottsburg) – 3

Rebounds

• Averie Hubbard (Southwestern) – 5

• Reese Cox (Scottsburg) – 5

• Kinzleigh Cross – 5

"Sometimes a loss is exactly what a championship team needs."

Game 2 – TSI Select 59, West Virginia Wild 7

If the first game was a wake-up call, the second game was the response.

TSI came out flying on the defensive end, forcing turnovers that quickly turned into easy baskets. The pressure never let up as Select rolled to a 59-7 victory.

Kinzleigh Cross caught fire offensively with 21 points while Breanna Harden added 12.

Bree Riley controlled the offense with five assists, and Averie Hubbard dominated the glass with 10 rebounds.

Quarterfinal – TSI Select 34, NM Lady Thunder 8

The momentum carried right into bracket play.

TSI overwhelmed the Lady Thunder from the opening tip with relentless defense and unselfish offense.

Averie Hubbard led the scoring attack with 10 points while Kinzleigh Cross narrowly missed double figures with nine.

Reese Cox handed out three assists, and Hubbard once again controlled the paint with six rebounds.

The girls had officially found their rhythm.

Semifinal – TSI Select Defeats OBKY Gators

Sometimes sports give you another chance.

Earlier this spring, the OBKY Gators had beaten TSI Select three different times—each one a close game—and OBKY went on to win each of those tournaments.

This was the matchup the girls had been waiting for.

The semifinal turned into an absolute heavyweight fight with both teams trading runs throughout the game.

Every one of TSI's six players made winning plays, but two performances stood above the rest.

Reese Cox accepted the challenge of guarding the Gators' leading scorer and held her to just one point all game. It was one of the biggest defensive performances of the tournament.

Inside, Averie Hubbard completely controlled the paint, finishing with a dominant double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Kinzleigh Cross buried a huge three-pointer late in the game that gave Select the momentum they needed to finish the job, while Bree Riley once again kept everyone involved with three assists.

Three losses earlier in the year had been erased with one unforgettable win.

National Championship – TSI Select Defeats Clutch Elite

Championship games don't always go according to plan.

This one started exactly how TSI hoped.

After falling to Clutch Elite in pool play, Select raced out to a 19-10 lead and looked determined to flip the script.

But champions don't come easy.

Clutch Elite battled back and made things interesting before TSI calmly responded with winning basketball down the stretch.

Breanna Harden and Averie Hubbard knocked down clutch baskets and pressure free throws in the closing minutes to seal the National Championship.

Kinzleigh Cross continued her outstanding tournament with 13 points, while Kyleigh Densford added six.

On the boards, Reese Cox and Averie Hubbard each grabbed seven rebounds, while Cox and Harden shared the team lead with two assists.

When the final buzzer sounded, the celebration was on.

The same team that opened the weekend with a loss had finished it standing alone at the top. Averie Hubbard was announced as the tournament MVP, as she was stellar on both ends of the floor for Select.

National Champions.

Congratulations to Bree Riley, Breanna Harden, Kinzleigh Cross, Reese Cox, Kyleigh Densford, Averie Hubbard, their families, and coach Bella Riley on an incredible championship run.

Sometimes the best stories don't begin perfectly.

They end with cutting down the nets.