Conway, SC – The Atlantic Collegiate Academy Armada basketball teams rolled into the final week of the regular season with a sweep of visiting East Clarendon High on Friday night.
The boys' junior varsity team got things started with a resounding 50-22 victory over the Wolverines, improving to 14-1 on the year. The ACA girls' team followed suit with a 58-29 victory and the Armada boys closed out the night with a 68-34 victory.
With just two games left in the regular season, both ACA varsity teams are primed for the post-season. The girls team improved to 7-11 overall but, with a 6-4 mark in Region 7-AA, the Armada is tied with Kingstree for third in the post-season race, just one game behind Marion.
The ACA boys improved to 17-3 overall and, with a 9-1 record in region play, have a two-game lead over Mullins for the region title. All three ACA teams are scheduled to play at Kingstree on Tuesday night before hosting Mullins on Thursday in games originally scheduled for January 21, but postponed by winter weather.
Junior guard
Micah Davis led the Armada to the victory in the girls' game, scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Sophomore
Zaniya Blackmon added 16 points for ACA, which was playing without head coach
Bill Zatulskis, who was out of town to attend a funeral.
Girls' soccer head coach
Jordin Anderson, who has been serving as the assistant coach for the girls' basketball team all year, filled in on the bench for ACA.
"In my first game stepping in as head coach, the girls came out with a dominant win," Anderson said. "The energy was high, the teamwork was strong, and the girls delivered in a big way. I couldn't be prouder of their effort, composure and the way they played for each other."
The Armada varsity boys, currently ranked No. 1 in the state in class AA and No. 16 in the state overall, left no doubt about their domination of the Wolverines (6-16, 1-9) jumping out to a 23-6 lead in the opening quarter and holding ECHS to just 18 points through the first three periods.
"This was a good team win," ACA coach
Tanner Massey said. "We have a lot to be proud of but it is only going to get tougher from here on out. We have to buckle down on the little things, play to our strengths, and ultimately play for each other."
Senior guard
Jaylen Bellamy led the Armada with 13 points, hitting a pair of three-pointers. Senior forward
Jamie Brooks added 10 points as all 14 players who dressed for ACA scored and had at least one rebound. The Armada also had 16 assists in the game and recorded 19 steals.
The Armada can clinch an outright region title with a victory over either Kingstree (5-19, 1-9) on Tuesday or Mullins (17-4, 8-3) on Thursday. Mullins handed the Armada its only region loss of the season, taking a 66-64 overtime victory back on December 13.
Game times for both nights of basketball are set for 5 p.m. (JV boys), 6:15 p.m. (varsity girls) and 7:30 p.m. (varsity boys).
About Atlantic Collegiate Academy: Atlantic Collegiate Academy (ACA), located in Conway, 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 X.
