By Tom Kendra
LocalSportsJournal.com

MUSKEGON–Two Muskegon girls will go head-to-head on Monday in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.

In a matchup that could have taken place on the Boys and Girls Club court in downtown Muskegon, Tennessee’s Jordan Walker from Mona Shores and Toledo’s Sophia Wiard from Oakridge will instead square off on the national stage.

Walker and Wiard will both be in the starting lineup when No. 4-seed Tennessee hosts No. 12 Toledo in a second-round game at 6 p.m. Monday at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

Both players are senior team leaders and played key roles in their teams opening-round wins on Saturday.

Guard Jordan Walker #4 of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers during the 2023 Women’s Basketball NCAA Tournament game between the Saint Louis Billikens and the Tennessee Lady Volunteers at Thompson–Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN. Photo/Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics

Walker, a 5-8 senior, scored 11 points with three rebounds and three assists as the Volunteers rolled over Saint Louis, 95-50.

Obviously, Jordan Walker makes plays,” Tennessee coach Kellie Harper told the Knoxville News after the win, which was highlighted by a 29-0 run. “She has been so good and so consistent. She’s just tough. You love that about her.”

Wiard, a 5-7 senior, played all 40 minutes and scored 15 points with three rebounds and three assists in the Rockets’ 80-73 upset of fifth-seeded Iowa State.

Before the game we talked about this opportunity,” said Toledo coach Tricia Cullop, whose team has now won 17-straight games. “I couldn’t be more proud of the focus and effort and intensity our players showed all game long. We not only wanted this opportunity, but we wanted a chance to see how deep we could really go.”

Photo courtesy of University of Toledo Athletic Department

Tennessee (24-11) is one of the most storied programs in women’s college basketball, winning eight national championships and is the only school to have played in all 41 Women’s NCAA tournaments. Toledo (29-4), meanwhile, advanced to the second round of the tournament for the first time since 1996.

Both Wiard and Walker were honored in their senior year of high school with the prestigious Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame Female Student-Athlete of the Year honor, presented annually to the area’s best female student-athlete. Walker won the award in 2017 and Wiard in 2019.

They have continued to be a source of pride for their respective communities in college – both on and off the court.

Wiard was an all-state basketball and softball player at Oakridge who was a key part of the Eagles’ 82-game West Michigan Conference girls basketball winning streak.

She chose to play basketball at the Division 1 level and has shown that she belongs – and then some. Wiard, who averages 10.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4 assists, went over 1,000 points for her collegiate career in January.

Wiard is also an honor roll student who is majoring in finance.

Guard Jordan Walker #4 of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers during the 2023 Women’s Basketball NCAA Tournament game between the Saint Louis Billikens and the Tennessee Lady Volunteers at Thompson–Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN. Photo/Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics

Walker won the state’s Miss Basketball award in 2017, after averaging better than 22 points and 8 rebounds per game and leading the Sailors to four consecutive OK Black titles.

She played three years at Western Michigan University, earning her degree before transferring to Tennessee. She is averaging 5.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3 assists this season and will graduate later this spring with her second master’s degree.

Basketball is in Walker’s blood, as her parents, Jarvis and Danielle, were both college standouts at Ferris State. Her older sister, Jasmyn, is now the recruiting coordinator for Butler’s women’s basketball program and her younger brother, Jarvis, was a sophomore guard for Indianapolis, which finished the season 26-5.

The winner of Monday’s showdown advances to the “Sweet Sixteen” on Saturday in Seattle, Wash., to face the winner of Sunday night’s game between top-seeded Virginia Tech and ninth-seeded South Dakota State.