Kershaw, SC – The challenge for the Atlantic Collegiate Academy girls' basketball team was immense on Wednesday night.
The Armada ventured onto the road for their third consecutive playoff game and found themselves squaring off against the juggernaut known as Andrew Jackson High. The Volunteers, defending state champions in Class AA and the favorites to capture the title again as the No. 1 ranked team this year, used a 32-9 run in the second quarter to pull away from ACA for a 99-45 victory.
The Armada's unexpected run in the playoffs came to an end, leaving the much-improved squad with a 10-13 record in their second season, the first under coach
Bill Zatulskis. The Volunteers (26-3) move on to face Lake City (17-7) for the Lower State title next Tuesday, March 4, at 3 p.m. in Florence.
"We played a good first quarter, but struggled after that," Zatulskis said. "The team played hard until the final buzzer, and I am proud of that."
ACA held a 12-9 lead more than halfway through the first quarter before Andrew Jackson finished the period on a 9-0 run. That run continued into the second quarter and reached 31-4 before the Armada hit a three-pointer to stem the avalanche of offense from the Vols. Still, AJHS finished the half on a 10-2 run to take a 50-21 lead into intermission.
The Armada hung tough against the talented Vols for much of the third quarter, but the potent AJHS scoring attack eventually wore down the young ACA squad.
Junior
Micah Davis led ACA with 12 points and five rebounds in the game. Senior All-State performer Tamia Watkins led the Volunteers with 39 points and 26 rebounds. Junior Ji'Yonna Asbelle chipped in with 29 points and added six boards, five steals and four assists.
The Armada forced the top ranked Vols into 22 turnovers in the game.
ACA loses just two seniors from this years' squad with the graduation loss of guard
Abby Fusco and forward
Hannah Goodman. The rest of the squad, which includes six freshmen and four sophomores along with the lone junior in Davis, is well set to make another big jump forward next season.
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.
