Faith Academy boys basketball on winning streak

The Faith Academy of Marble Falls boys basketball team crushed Austin Hill Country 72-55 Nov. 21.

Flames head coach Zakk Revelle, whose team has won two in a row to improve to 2-1 on the season, noted Hill Country has made deep playoff runs in the recent past with many of the current players on those rosters as underclassmen.

So he was pleased with the win, noting it didn’t come easy.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair as Hill Country (4-2) built a 29-22 advantage in the second period that went to 38-33 early in the third quarter.

But in the final 12 minutes of the contest, the Flames went on a tear.

“We were looking for the best shot available,” Revelle said.

Faith had 36 rebounds, 17 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks to Hill Country’s 22 rebounds, 11 assists, 10 steals and a block. Faith shot a scorching 60 percent field goal percentage.

The coach credited senior guard Gabe Lopez, sophomore center Judah Phillips, and freshman guard Will Slyker for the offensive output.

“Gabe hit timely shots, Will took over and hit timely shots,” he said. “Judah is coming into his own. We had a lot of guys who had career highs. We’re efficient offensively, and we have talented kids.”

Slyker was 5 for 6 on 2-point shots and 5 for 9 on 3-point shots for a career high 26 points.

“I’m sure he’ll beat that,” Revelle said, adding the guard also had 8 assists to 2 turnovers. “He did a really good job.”

Phillips scored 22 points and had 13 rebounds.

Revelle noted that some Flames weren’t available to play, and he was thrilled to see others contribute.

“It was a great opportunity for others to step up and get minutes in November, knowing we can transition,” he said. “The last few years, we’ve had some good teams that have been very good at scoring and not as good at stopping other teams. Every team will have a different identity. This year, this group has taken to the defensive side. We did drill work of getting scores and getting stops.”

Faith travels to Bryan Allen Academy for a varsity only doubleheader. The Lady Flames take the court at 5 p.m. and the Flames follow.

Revelle said the reason they scheduled this game on a Tuesday night is because the program has to make a similar trip in a few weeks on a Tuesday night to play at Bryan Brazos Academy.

“This game is scripted and done purposely to see how you respond,” he said.

The Flames end the week at the Lorena Tournament where they play Jarrell, China Spring, San Antonio Alamo Heights and Whitney in pool play.

“They’re very good opponents,” Revelle said. “It’ll be fun for our team. There’s a lot of stuff we need to learn.”

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