Faith Academy boys basketball gets another district win
CAPTION: Faith Academy captain Asher Apel and the Flames remain unbeaten in district play and are preparing for a big stretch of games next week. Photo by Stennis Shotts
The Faith Academy of Marble Falls boys basketball team annihilated Temple Central Texas Christian 64-30 Jan. 9 to improve to 2-0 in District 3-3A play of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools.
“It doesn’t matter when you get in district if it’s a win by one point or 100, you just want to win,” head coach Zakk Revelle said. “It’s the first time (my players) had to travel for a game that really mattered. We were up by 40 points.”
One early play foreshadowed the type of night it was going to be, he added. The ball was passed to sophomore center Judah Phillips who passed it back out to the perimeter. The Flames reversed the ball and quickly passed it from one to the other. Meanwhile, Phillips moved quickly as he saw what his teammates were doing.
“Judah never stopped working,” Revelle said. “At the end, the pass went to him, and he took two steps and dunked it.”
As happy as he was with the offensive output, the coach commended the Flames for their commitment to the defensive end.
“Our defensive intensity was incredible,” he said. “Our defensive intensity was some of the best it’s been all year. I was really happy with our performance. We’ve played some good teams. You have to able to play defense, and you have to be able to play defense on the road.”
Revelle credited team captains Gabe Lopez and Asher Apel for ensuring their teammates were mentally ready to go.
“They had everybody focused and ready,” he said.
Freshman guard Will Slyker, who can score as many as 43 points, scored 13 points against CTC.
“I thought he played one of the best games he’s played all year,” Revelle said. “He shared the ball and got his teammates involved. His defensive intensity never dropped.”
The Flames, who are ranked No. 5 in the latest TAPPS Class 3A poll by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, feel disrespected.
“(It’s) the reason why they play with an edge and a chip on their shoulders,” the coach said. “The boys look at stuff like that. We’ve beaten good schools, and it feels like everybody is talking about the other teams in the district. They’re like ‘who’s won the last four (district championships)?’ It’s good they feel that and the emotion they have. They play hard and play well.”
Faith enjoys a bye Friday, Jan. 12, before playing three games in five days next week, all at home. The Flames welcome Waco Reicher Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 6:30 p.m., Round Rock Brazos Christian Thursday, Jan. 18, at 7:30 p.m. and Waco Live Oak Saturday, Jan. 20, at 2:30 p.m.
Revelle said these are the top teams in the district along with Faith.
“We’re going to see them all in one week,” he said. “We’ll see where we’re at. We have the bye on Friday, but everyone else is playing. It’ll be interesting to see how this district shakes out. Everybody is beatable; there are no gimme games. You have to show up every week. This is a fun group I coach. Hopefully next week we can prove we are who we think we are.”
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