Marion, SC – After an unexpected vacation in the middle of the most important stretch of the season, the Atlantic Collegiate Academy basketball teams returned to action on Tuesday night, with all three teams squaring off against the Marion Swamp Foxes.
As might be expected following an 11-day layoff because of recent winter weather, the results for the Armada were mixed. The JV boys open the night with a 45-34 win to improve to 9-1 on the year. The varsity girls followed with a hard-fought 44-40 loss. The varsity boys, who entered the evening ranked No. 1 in the state in class AA and No. 18 in the state overall, brushed off the rust to take a 57-46 victory in the final game of the night.
All three teams will be back on the road tonight in region play at Manning in makeup play for games that were originally scheduled for January 10 but were postponed due to threat of severe weather. All three squads will be on the road again on Friday to face Lake City.
The girls' game on Tuesday was tight throughout, with the game tied at the end of the first quarter and again at halftime. The Armada held a slim, 32-31, lead at the end of the third quarter, but it was Marion that was able to make a late run to take the victory.
"It was a very physical game," ACA coach
Bill Zatulskis said. "We were out of sync at both ends of the floor. The team fought hard, but just came up short."
Sophomore guard
Zaniya Blackmon was the leading scorer for ACA, putting in 13 points. Junior guard
Micah Davis led the Armada with 10 rebounds while also scoring 11 points. The Armada now stands at 5-10 overall on the year with a 3-3 record in region play. Marion improved to 12-6 overall and 5-1 in region play.
In the boys' varsity game, it was ACA who raced out to a 10-point lead in the first half, nursing that advantage through the second half to take an 11-point victory. ACA is now 13-3 overall and 5-1 in region play while Marion falls to 9-11 on the year with a 3-3 mark in the region.
"Marion is a tough scout because there are so many things you have to account for from an offensive perspective," Armada coach
Tanner Massey said. "They did a great job of making it tough on us, which is a credit to them.
"Our guys found a way to create opportunities with great spacing and passing. We still have a long way to go, but I am proud of our effort, especially on defense."
Senior forward
Jamie Brooks led the way for the Armada with 19 points while fellow senior
CJ Hemingway added 11.
Massey said playing road games on back-to-back night would be a challenge.
"This will be a makeup game for us and makes for a grind because of all the travel involved," Massey said. "Manning is a high-quality opponent, and it will take all we have to come away with a victory."
Manning (10-4, 3-2) returned to action on Tuesday night as well, falling at home to Kingstree 51-44.
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.
