Conway, SC – The Atlantic Collegiate Academy basketball teams were in a sweep mood on Friday at "The Flight Deck", sweeping three games from visiting Marion High in Region 7-AA action.
The sweep started with the boys' JV team posting a 50-38 victory. The Armada girls followed suit with a decisive 70-33 victory. The varsity boys completed the sweep with a 62-38 win in the nightcap.
Sophomore
Jeffery Williams led the JV boys, scoring 10 points. The Armada jumped out to a 26-16 lead in the first half before coasting home with the win to improve to 5-1 on the year.
"I loved the way we finished tonight," ACA JV coach
Brandon Alston said. "We could have gotten off to a better start but sometimes it is not how you start; it is how you finish."
The ACA JV will be off for the winter break, returning to action on January 7 against Lake City.
The ACA girls' team also had a strong finish after taking a 29-21 lead in the first half. The Armada outscored the Swamp Foxes 43-17 in the second half to win going away. The victory for ACA (2-7) snapped a five-game losing skid.
"This was a total team win," coach
Bill Zatulskis said. "Everyone contributed to get everyone involved on the offensive end, and we played great team defense. It's great to see the team gel and execute at such a high level. I am very proud of their effort."
Sophomore guard
Zaniya Blackmon led all scorers in the game with 19 points while also picking up five steals and five assists. Junior guard
Micah Davis chipped with a double-double, scoring 15 points while grabbing 10 rebounds to go with five steals.
The girls have a quick turnaround with a home game against Ashley Ridge scheduled for 2 p.m. today.
For the Armada boys' varsity team, it was all about the start. ACA (5-2) raced out to a 20-7 lead in the first quarter and led by 25, 36-11, at halftime. The Armada continued to pull away in the second half, building a 38-point lead at the end of the third quarter before winning by 37.
"This was a total team effort, and our performance was indicative of that," ACA coach
Tanner Massey said. "The message was to keep our foot on the gas and our guys responded well. They kept grinding as the game went on."
Senior guard
Jaylen Bellamy led the Armada with 18 points while also grabbing six rebounds. Senior forward
Jamie Brooks turned in his best outing of the young season, posting a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Senior guard
Justin Bellamy also hit the board, grabbing 11 rebounds to go with six points.
"I am proud of everyone's effort," Massey said. "We passed the ball extremely well and I am looking forward to seeing what our assist percentage was and build on that chemistry."
The Armada will have some time off next week to enjoy the holiday before returning to action in the Pepsi Carolina Christmas Tournament on Friday against Quality Education Academy at 4 p.m. The tournament is being played at South Florence High. ACA will face either the host team or Trinity Collegiate on Saturday.
About Atlantic Collegiate Academy: Atlantic Collegiate Academy (ACA), located in Myrtle Beach, S.C., serves high school students in a safe, small and family-centered setting. Our students seek the opportunity and challenge of rigorous curriculum, high academic standards and elite athletics while also earning up to two years of college credit. ACA serves students in grades 9-12 using an honors curriculum in 9th and 10 grades with a dual enrollment curriculum in 11th and 12th grades.
Learn more about ACA by visiting our website at AtlanticCollegiate.Academy and by following us on social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
