Faith Academy boys basketball hosts No. 1 Waco Live Oak

CAPTION: Faith Academy senior Asher Apel will be honored before tonight’s game against Waco Live Oak. Photo by Stennis Shotts

The Faith Academy of Marble Falls boys basketball team is ready for the rematch against Waco Live Oak in a battle of the top two teams in the state.

The Falcons (25-4, 10-0) beat the Flames (19-10, 9-1) 66-50 in the first round of District 4-3A of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools. Live Oak is ranked No. 1 in the TAPPS Class 3A poll of the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, while Faith is ranked No. 2.

A win gives the Flames a share of the district crown, while a loss means the Falcons win it outright.

“At the beginning of the year, our goal was to win a district championship,” head coach Zakk Revelle said.

He believes this game will showcase all the greatness of Texas high school basketball led by great players making great plays who are coached to perform at their best.

“Live Oak is extremely well coached,” Revelle said. “(Head coach) Kyle Combs is one of the best in TAPPS. Everything is meticulous. They have a good game plan, they always do a good job of being in games.”

The Falcons have athletes who have played on the varsity for a couple of years and have close to 100 starts.

“They have lots of juniors and seniors who provide the majority of their leadership,” Revelle said.

The reason the Flames are in position for at least a share of the district crown is because they scorched San Antonio Lutheran 64-40 Feb. 4.

Revelle summed up the contest in a sentence.

“It was really a complete team effort,” he said.

All-state sophomore guard Will Slyker led with 18 points, while junior guard Jase Marshall added 16, junior center Judah Phillips contributed 14, and senior forward Asher Apel finished with 13.

“When four of your starters are in double digits, you’re in a good spot,” Revelle said. “They ran a box-and-1 defense on Will. Will does such a good job of distributing the ball when all eyes are on him. It says a lot about him as a teammate.”

He added the Flames figured the Mustangs would do all they could to limit Slyker’s touches.

“In this game, we didn’t have a lot of (offensive) rhythm,” the coach said. “You’re going to have games where you’re out of rhythm. You still play hard. We held them to 21 points in the first half and four in the third quarter. The third quarter has been the Achilles heel for us. It’s a really good time to address it.”

Revelle noted the results of this contest are because of the Flames’ tenacity on defense. His players were prepared for an emotional start from the Mustangs. The program honored their seniors before the contest, which typically fires up that team.

“It’s emotionally charged, and you have to expect that on the road,” Revelle said. “They’re going to make shots, you’re going to miss shots. They’re excited to play in front of their friends.”

Lutheran scored a 3-pointer “off the backboard” to begin the contest then turned a defensive rebound into a lay-up in the opening 30 seconds.

But the Flames simply played through it with buckets of their own to seize control of the game.

“I think it says a lot about our mental preparation,” Revelle said. “We settled in and kept doing what we’re supposed to do. It was a really good overall team win.”