Conway SC – The Atlantic Collegiate Academy girls' basketball team got the new year started the right way, downing Pinnacle Charter Academies sister school Oceanside Collegiate Academy 53-41 on Saturday night.
The victory for the Armada (3-8) avenged an earlier loss to the Landsharks (12-4), who are ranked second in the state in Class AAA. It was the third loss for Oceanside in their last four games.
"Our team played extremely well on both ends of the floor," ACA coach
Bill Zatulskis said. "We played great team defense and moved the ball well on offense. It was our best rebounding performance of the season."
The Armada outrebounded the Landsharks 45-38 while also recording 10 steals in the game. Neither team shot the ball especially well, with ACA shooting 28 percent from the floor to 27 percent for the Landsharks. ACA also had a slight edge in shooting from three-point range as well as from the free throw line.
The game was tight throughout, with the Armada holding a slim lead, 11-10, at the end of the first quarter. ACA pushed that advantage to five points, 25-20, by halftime and grew it to eight points, 37-29 after three quarters.
Atlantic got a balanced performance with senior guard
Abby Fusco leading the way with 14 points, including a trio of three-point baskets. Junior
Micah Davis posted a double-double with 10 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
Sophomore guard
Zaniya Blackmon put the game on ice late, making three free throws in the final minute to finish with 12 points. She also had five steals and three rebounds in the game. Fellow sophomore
Cayleigh Johnson also finished in double figures with 10 points while grabbing seven rebounds and amassing seven steals.
The Armada now turns its focus toward region competition with the next five games on the schedule against Region 7-AA opponents. ACA will start that stretch on Tuesday, hosting Lake City at 6:15 p.m. The ACA boys' varsity will host the Panthers at 7:30 p.m. The junior varsity boys' team will get things started at 5 p.m.
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.
