Faith Academy girls basketball ready for final stretch
CAPTION: Faith Academy senior Hadley Shipley (2) will be honored on Friday, Feb. 7, as part of the program’s senior night. Photo by Stennis Shotts
The Faith Academy of Marble Falls girls basketball team returns to the court for its final three games of the regular season.
The Lady Flames will travel to San Antonio Lutheran Tuesday, Feb. 4, before hosting Waco Live Oak Friday, Feb. 7, and Temple Central Texas Christian Tuesday, Feb. 11. All games tip off at 6 p.m.
Faith is riding a two-game winning streak thanks to victories over San Antonio Keystone 48-28 Jan. 24 and Central Texas Christian 33-21 Jan. 21.
“We definitely clinched a playoff spot,” head coach Harvey Vaughn said. “Coming in third place with this team is a good spot.”
The reason is because of the number of newcomers to the team. Many of them are underclassmen who learned about the physicality and speed of the varsity level by facing squads with more experienced players.
The Lady Flames held CTC to 21 points in 32 minutes of play, which impressed their coach.
“It was probably our best game of the year,” he said. “I basically challenged two of our girls to play their best defense.”
They were junior post Natalie Weems and sophomore guard Lilly Koziel. The Lady Lions scored 7 points in the second half.
Vaughn noted that Weems’ height and footwork makes it difficult for opponents to shoot or run an offense.
“Natalie has a lot of natural ability,” Vaughn said. “She’s making progress.”
The wins came on the heels of losing to Live Oak 58-27 Jan. 18 on a Saturday when the opponent hosted its Jamboree community event. Fans packed the gym as part of the celebration. The Texas Association of Basketball Coaches has Live Oak as the No. 1 team in the Class 3A Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools poll.
“We just got a little bit overwhelmed with the pressure,” Vaughn said. “Live Oak is ranked No. 1 for a reason.”
Faith didn’t play last week because not every district opponent has a girls basketball team. So the Lady Flames used practices to work on the playbook and fundamentals. Vaughn said one emphasis was the half-court offensive sets.
“As soon as you catch the ball in the wing, you look to see the posts,” he said. “All those things have to happen in a row. They’re still learning with how to deal with all that. We have the skills and the players to do better. It’s starting to develop.”
On Friday, Feb. 7, the program will honor senior Hadley Shipley between the two varsity games along with senior Asher Apel.
Shipley averages 10 points and 8 rebounds per game.
Vaughn said the Lady Flames are fortunate to have Shipley on the team.
“Hadley is fearless on the floor,” he said. “It’s huge having her on the team this year. She’s not afraid to go up against bigger girls. She’s a non-stop competitor.”
CAPTION: Sophomore guard Lilly Koziel has stepped up on both ends of the floor. She is becoming the Lady Flames’ defensive stopper in guarding the opponent’s best perimeter shooter. Photo by Stennis Shotts
