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Twin Tennessee Volunteers commits Mia and Mya Pauldo are playing in the Throne Hoops national championships, repping the Crusaders squad. On Friday, they staged a comeback victory against the Lady Royals, earning praise from Syracuse basketball legend Brittney Sykes, who showed the twins how impressed she was with them on her Instagram Stories.
"What a time @thethronehoops @twinbackcourt23." wrote Brittney Sykes on her Instagram Stories caption.
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Sykes was present to watch Mia and Mya Pauldo in action as they led the Crusaders to a thrilling comeback victory against the Lady Royals. After trailing by 16 points, the Cusaders secured a 52-45 win.
The twins delivered a standout performance in their team's comeback victory, combining for 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Individually, Mya had 15 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals, while twin sister Mia had 11 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and three steals in the ballgame.
They were so good together that both of them shared the Player of the Game honors. Daniella Matus was also mentioned for her effort as she had a team-high 16 points, six rebounds and two steals in that win.
Mia and Mya Pauldo led Morris Catholic to an undefeated state title run
Before representing the Crusaders during Throne Hoops, the Mia and Mya Pauldo were part of the North Jersey Non-Public A state championships and led Morris Catholic to a state title. They also ended the season undefeated with a 28-0 record overall.
The Crusaders were in a first-round bye, automatically qualifying for the quarterfinals on March 3 as the No. 1 seed. There, they dominated No. 8 seed Paramus Catholic 101-22 in a lopsided contest before facing off against DePaul Catholic in the semifinal round on March 6. Morris Catholic was once again victorious, beating the tournament's No. 5 seed 61-46.
They then took on the tournament's most surprising team, Pope John XXIII, which entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed and went on to upset several schools ranked much higher than them, including No. 7 Oak Knoll and No. 5 Immaculate Heart Academy. However, their Cinderella run was cut short by the Pauldo twins, as the Crusaders rolled over them in the finals, 66-34.
Despite winning the state, Mia Pauldo is not done yet. The Gatorade State Player of the Year for New Jersey is playing for the East team during the McDonald's All-American Game on April 1.
