Faith Academy boys basketball crushes Waco Live Oak, wins fourth consecutive district title
CAPTION: The Faith Academy Flames celebrate earning their fourth consecutive district championship by cutting down the nets and bringing out the banner. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Faith Academy of Marble Falls boys basketball team scorched Waco Live Oak 73-53 Feb. 9 to share the District 3-3A championship of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools with the Falcons.
But because the Flames allowed fewer combined points during the two contests against Live Oak, they will enter the Class 3A playoffs as the No. 1 seed out of the district.
And the victory ensured Faith won its fourth straight district title.
“Your first goal is to win the district,” head coach Zakk Revelle said. “And that isn’t easy at all. Finally it feels like we are who the state thought we were.”
The game pitted two teams ranked in the top 10 of TAPPS Class 3A by members of the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, and fans filled The Fire Pit to capacity. Live Oak had four charter buses transporting fans and students for the pivotal contest.
Revelle pointed out the fans’ enthusiasm and a packed house is why people love Texas high school basketball.
“I thought it was a major compliment they brought all those people,” he said.
Still, the Flames wouldn’t be denied and competed like a team that realized the importance of splitting the season series in the regular season finale.
“It feels really good,” senior power forward Brock Davis said. “It’s hard to beat the same team twice. I never thought I’d be in this position (to be a member of a four-time district champion). It says a lot about who we are as a team.”
Who the Flames are, fans will say, is a team where every player embraces his role and tries to perform at his absolute best every time he steps on the court. And Davis, who is the favorite to be the player of the year, is no exception. And while he scored 38 points, Davis pointed out his teammates, in particular Will Lewis, Gabe Lopez and Diego Chavira, made plays that frustrated the Falcons.
“It’s about the environment,” he said.
That environment fired up both teams in the first half.
Lopez stole the ball and outran everybody for the bucket, while Chavira threw an alley-oops pass to Davis for a dunk then found the power forward again for another basket and a 6-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
After a Live Oak timeout, the Falcons trimmed deficit in half thanks to a 3-pointer. But Lopez answered with his own long-range bomb for a 9-3 lead.
The Falcons outscored the Flames 8-3 in the final 2:36 for an 11-11 tie after the first period.
Both teams matched each other bucket for bucket in the next 4 minutes where Live Oak scored three 3-pointers for a 22-20 lead and needed only one shot per possession to do it.
“They shot the ball so well,” Revelle said, adding the Falcons scored five 3-pointers in the first half.
Still Faith wouldn’t be outdone. Lopez hit a 3-pointer at the top of the key to start a 10-3 run where Lewis dropped in 2-point and 3-point field goals and Davis powered his way to bucket from the lane.
It all added up to a 32-25 Faith lead at the half.
The Flames stepped back on the court for the third stanza and were simply magical. Lopez got them started with back-to-back 3-pointers, then Davis completed a fastbreak with a bucket and added another on a Lewis assist. Asher Apel dropped in a 3-point bomb from the left side for a 13-0 run and a commanding 45-25 advantage with 4:16 left in the period.
“We’ve always talked about starting the second half strong, the first two minutes and the last two minutes of every quarter,” Davis said. “We say put your foot on their throat. With a competitive team like Live Oak, that’s what you have to do.”
“They’re really learning and are buying into what we’re preaching,” Revelle said of his players.
The silence from the visiting side of the stands was deafening as Faith showed its depth en route outscoring the Falcons 24-9 during the period and a commanding 56-34 advantage headed into the final period.
Lopez finished with 17 points, while Apel and Lewis each added nine.
The Flames, who earned a bye in the first round, will host the winner of Houston Northland Christian and Bryan Brazos Christian, which Faith beat twice during the district campaign. The contest is projected to be on Tuesday, Feb.14.
Revelle put the basketball net around his neck and reflected on his players and this district crown.
“They’re all sweet every year,” he said. “This is a different group. I can’t say enough about them. They play so hard. You do stuff like this because they’ll remember this forever. And maybe they’ll have sons who play for us one day and tell them about the district championships they’ve won and tell them to win one for themselves, too.”
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