ACA hoping for a two title weekend as both girls and boys hoops teams reach finals
by Maria Santora
ACA hoping for a two title weekend as both girls and boys hoops teams reach finals
Swannanoa — (WLOS) Asheville Christian Academy's boys and girls basketball team will vie for state titles this weekend.
The Lady Lions will look to claim their second consecutive NCISAA 3A State Championship after beating Arendell Parrott Academy 60-35 in the semifinals. ACA will now face Concord Academy -- the same Eagles squad the Lions topped in last year's state title game.
"We played them last year in the Championship game and I think we only won by three. It came down to the final shot," Head Coach John WIlliams recounted of the contest.
The Lions are preparing to face a very similar Eagles squad, after returning several key players from it's 2019-2020 runners-up group.
"[Concord Academy] is a fantastic program, great culture, great coaches and really present matchup problems for us all over the floor and it's the same team as last year," Williams explained.
Because of that, Williams expects the Eagles to seek redemption.
"There's always going to be a target on your back once you get a championship win," Williams emphasized. "And if you get to see that team again, there's redemption in their minds. There's revenge in their minds and, so I want them to feel that. I want them to feel that tension, that nervousness to know you've got something to defend. The lucky thing is you get to defend it at home."
The ACA girls will host Concord Academy Saturday at 2 pm.
As for the ACA boys team, they too will also seek revenge when they face Gaston Christian in its championship game. The Eagles beat the Lions 43-34 in the season opener. ACA went on to lose its next seven contests.
"They've got a lot of heart. They didn't let the record or the scoreboard define them, " Head Coach Andy Ray said of the Lions' tough start. "They believed all along... They just kept working until we got past a lot of the injuries and past a lot of the things that were in our way."
The Lions entered the state tournament unseeded, weathering each opponent while on the road. Ray believes the obstacles his group overcame in the beginning of the season has helped prepare ACA for the adversity they're facing in the postseason.
"We had only four or five games this year with an entire, healthy roster. It is difficult, but it is the thing that helps lead to obstacles that you learn to overcome," Ray explained. "It makes your team stronger if you choose that or you can choose to separate and these guys have chosen to grow tighter."
Asheville Christian Academy will see if that chemistry can earn them the title Saturday at 6pm.
ACA hoping for a two title weekend as both girls and boys hoops teams reach finals
Swannanoa — (WLOS) Asheville Christian Academy's boys and girls basketball team will vie for state titles this weekend.
The Lady Lions will look to claim their second consecutive NCISAA 3A State Championship after beating Arendell Parrott Academy 60-35 in the semifinals. ACA will now face Concord Academy -- the same Eagles squad the Lions topped in last year's state title game.
"We played them last year in the Championship game and I think we only won by three. It came down to the final shot," Head Coach John WIlliams recounted of the contest.
The Lions are preparing to face a very similar Eagles squad, after returning several key players from it's 2019-2020 runners-up group.
"[Concord Academy] is a fantastic program, great culture, great coaches and really present matchup problems for us all over the floor and it's the same team as last year," Williams explained.
Because of that, Williams expects the Eagles to seek redemption.
"There's always going to be a target on your back once you get a championship win," Williams emphasized. "And if you get to see that team again, there's redemption in their minds. There's revenge in their minds and, so I want them to feel that. I want them to feel that tension, that nervousness to know you've got something to defend. The lucky thing is you get to defend it at home."
The ACA girls will host Concord Academy Saturday at 2 pm.
As for the ACA boys team, they too will also seek revenge when they face Gaston Christian in its championship game. The Eagles beat the Lions 43-34 in the season opener. ACA went on to lose its next seven contests.
"They've got a lot of heart. They didn't let the record or the scoreboard define them, " Head Coach Andy Ray said of the Lions' tough start. "They believed all along... They just kept working until we got past a lot of the injuries and past a lot of the things that were in our way."
The Lions entered the state tournament unseeded, weathering each opponent while on the road. Ray believes the obstacles his group overcame in the beginning of the season has helped prepare ACA for the adversity they're facing in the postseason.
"We had only four or five games this year with an entire, healthy roster. It is difficult, but it is the thing that helps lead to obstacles that you learn to overcome," Ray explained. "It makes your team stronger if you choose that or you can choose to separate and these guys have chosen to grow tighter."
Asheville Christian Academy will see if that chemistry can earn them the title Saturday at 6pm.
