Faith boys district runners-up, girls are champs with wins
JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF
WACO — The Faith Academy of Marble Falls boys basketball team beat Waco Central Texas Christian 54-40 on Feb. 6.
With the win, the Flames (11-7, 7-2) finish as the runner-up in District 4-2A of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, even though the regular season ends with a home game against Cedar Park Summit at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11 at The Fire Pit, three miles east of Marble Falls off RR 1431.
The Flames will either play Dallas Tyler Street Christian or Dallas Cambridge in the first round of the playoffs, which start Feb. 17-18.
In the game, the Flames took a 12-0 lead and never looked back, head coach Randy Denton said, putting away any doubts that the 59-53 loss to Waco Vanguard on Feb. 4 would be a factor against CTC.
“This was the last true test before the playoffs,” he said. “I was concerned about that. So I gave them the day off (Feb. 5) to get away from the hangover. CTC was fighting for a playoff berth. Our players came out and, to their credit, did what they needed to do. Overall, they played well.”
He said the Flames set the pace as well as the tone early by pushing the game’s tempo.
Faith junior post Joseph Woods led the way with 19 points. That’s because the Flames saw a matchup near the basket against Woods, they liked, Denton said.
jfierro@thepicayune.com
Faith Academy girls 60, CTC 11
WACO — The Faith Academy of Marble Falls girls basketball team crushed Waco Central Texas Christian 60-11 on Feb. 6, winning the District 4-2A championship.
The Lady Flames extended their district win streak to 86.
“Half of those games are on the road,” Lady Flames head coach Jerry English said about the streak. “Anything can happen. I think I’m as proud of that as I am of our 16 state tournament appearances. This is big for me.”
As the district champion, Faith will have a bye in the first round of the playoffs of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools. The Lady Flames will host a second-round game Feb. 21 or 22 at The Fire Pit with their opponent still to be determined.
In the game, Faith built a 23-5 lead that ballooned to 38-9 at the half. A running clock was used in the third quarter because of the mercy rule.
English was pleased with the way his players entered the contest. Instead of needing almost five minutes to make a field goal, which was the case during the victory against Waco Vanguard on Feb. 4, the Lady Flames got the hot start English wanted.
“The game before, we got some shots, we just shot it so poorly,” he said. “We didn’t come ready to play. That’s probably my biggest push right now. We have to finish plays. I always felt like what separates the good teams is the ability to make the 5- and 6-foot shots.
English said CTC tried to keep it a low-scoring game by making many passes on each possession.
But the Lady Flames’ speed and commitment to defense resulted in deflections and steals that helped build the advantage.
He complimented the effort of senior forward Joanna Piatek and noted junior guard Taylor Denton and sophomore post Hannah Cozby each had double figures.
“Joanna had one of those dream games with cutbacks or breakaways,” he said.
TOP PLAYERS: Hannah Cozby 12 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block; Joanna Piatek 16 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 rebounds; Taylor Denton 13 points, 4 steals, 3 assists, 3 rebounds
ON OFFENSE: points – Juliette Fisher 8, Kristen Cherry 7, Alisha Williams 4; assists – Fisher 5, Cherry 3, Sierra Brinkley 1, Susanna Case 1, Williams 1; rebounds – Fisher 3, Williams 2, Brinkley 1, Cherry 1, Laura Benac 1
ON DEFENSE: steals – Cherry 4, Fisher 1, Brinkley 1; rebounds – Fisher 6, Cherry 4, Williams 2, Brinkley 1; blocks – Fisher 2, Brinkley 1
RECORDS: Faith Academy is 24-4 overall and 9-0 in District 4-2A of TAPPS.
UP NEXT: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 7, Faith vs. Holland at The Fire Pit, three miles east of Marble Falls off RR 1431; 6:15 p.m. Feb. 11, Faith vs. Cedar Park Summit at The Fire Pit, three miles east of Marble Falls off RR 1431