Conway, SC – A slow start on Friday night only served to spark the top-ranked Atlantic Collegiate Academy boys' basketball team as the Armada rolled past Bridges Prep Academy 68-35 in the second round of the SCHSL playoffs.
The Armada (21-3) will host region for Mullins on Wednesday for the right to move on to the Lower State Championship game, which will pit the winner against the winner of Wednesday's Hampton County vs. Andrew Jackson game. The Lower State title game is scheduled to be played in Florence on March 4 with the Class AA state championship game to be played on March 8.
On Friday it was the visiting Buccaneers (18-8) who got off to a good start, leading the Armada 13-9 after the opening quarter. ACA coach
Tanner Massey got his teams' attention between periods because the Armada ran away from the visiting Bucs with a 21-2 quarter.
"This is the kind of game we needed," Massey said. "We fought through adversity in the first quarter and responded with grit and toughness. That has been our identity all year and it is a credit to our players."
With a 30-15 lead at halftime, the Armada still seemed as if they had something to prove in the third quarter, running their lead to 52-21 going into the final quarter.
As has become the norm, senior forward
Jamie Brooks led ACA to the victory by scoring 18 points in and around the paint while also grabbing four rebounds and four steals. Fellow senior forward
CJ Hemingway added in 11 points, as did senior guard
Jaylen Bellamy. Senior
Justin Bellamy also had a good game with six rebounds, five steals and three assists. Junior guard T.J. Wilson also chipped in with nine points.
ACA will now face Mullins for the second time this month and the third time this season. The Auctioneers and Armada split the two games during the regular season, both winning on their home floor. Most recently, ACA beat Mullins by 23 points to clinch the region title.
Mullins (19-5) has advanced to the rematch against ACA with playoff wins over Lake Marion (78-60) and Philip Simmons (48-37) since the regular season finale loss to the Armada.
"Mullins is a tough regional opponent that we have to face for a chance to go to Florence," Massey said. "They have given us all we can handle, and I expect nothing less from them this time. They can beat anyone in the state and we must be ready for their physicality and toughness."
Tipoff on Wednesday is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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.
