Faith Academy boys hoops add two wins during grueling stretch

CAPTION: Faith junior guard Asher Apel and the Flames complete a nine-game stretch in 11 days with two big wins. Photo by Jennifer Fierro/TexasChalkTalk.com 

The Faith Academy of Marble Falls boys basketball team beat Akiba Yavneh Academy 62-48 Dec. 9 and Dallas Lutheran 70-65 Dec. 8 to end an 11-day stretch of contests. Yavneh is ranked No. 6 in the private schools Class 2A poll of the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches while Faith is No. 7.

The Flames played nine games during that stretch.

“Yavneh is the epitome of what you want in a basketball program,” Faith head coach Zack Revelle said. “In 2018, they were 31-1 (finishing as a state runner-up of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools) and won state in 2020. This is the first time we’ve beaten Yavneh. We’re excited we can take that monkey off our backs.”

The Flames accepted what the defense gave them. Both opponents utilized a 2-3 zone though they execute it a little differently, Revelle said.

Faith committed to getting 6-foot 10-inch sophomore center Judah Phillips involved early. That resulted in getting the outside shooters open looks at the basket. By the end of the first quarter against Yavneh, Faith led 17-15 and the advantage only increased from there.

“I thought we played well,” he said. “We had great energy. And you have to beat them; they don’t beat themselves. It was a total team effort. Everyone contributed.”

Lutheran refused to go down quietly. Faith had a 15-point lead, but the Lions began hitting 3-pointers and trimmed the deficit to 1 with about 90 seconds remaining.

“It was a shooting fest,” Revelle said. “I didn’t think we valued the ball well. We did what we needed to do to win. They gave us their best shot. They were a formidable opponent. That game was about handling adversity. We grew up as a team.”

Freshman guard Will Slyker hit 6 free throws to give the Flames a 5-point lead. Phillips found senior guard Gabe Lopez for a lay-up that sealed the victory.

Rebounding became vitally important, and Revelle noted his guards were crashing the paint as hard as the centers and forwards.

“Hats off to Lutheran,” the coach said. “They’re a good team and are well coached. Everybody contributed. We want to succeed for each other as much as much we want to succeed for ourselves. You want the team to be successful. I felt like we took a step from last week. It was good for us to handle adversity on the road.”

While the games’ outcomes were welcome, Revelle said the coaches and players used the road trip to increase their individual faiths. Yavneh Academy’s student body is Jewish, so the school doesn’t have activities from sunset on Fridays to sunset on Saturdays to observe the Sabbath. The Faith and Yavneh students shared some personal experiences before the game.

“Some (Yavneh) players were in Israel when the whole war broke out,” Revelle said referring to the Israel-Hamas conflict that began Oct. 7. “It was a different look at life.”

The Flames host their own tournament Friday and Saturday, Dec. 15-16. They welcome San Marcos Home School at 9 a.m. and South Austin Warriors at 6 p.m., both on Friday and face Austin Veritas at noon Saturday to complete pool play.