ACA cruises in home playoff victory

Lions charge into semifinals with 55-30 win over Arendell Parrott

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
February 19, 2022

The No. 1 seed Asheville Christian Academy girls basketball team is moving on to the semifinal round of the 2021-22 NCISAA 3A Girls Basketball State Championship Tournament, following a Feb. 19 victory at home over No. 8 Arendell Parrott Academy. 

The Lions, who improved to 15-9 on the season with the win, finished the regular season as co-champions of the Carolinas Athletic Association conference, sharing the title with Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (Georgia). Saturday’s 55-30 victory over the Patriots marks the third straight season in which ACA has advanced beyond the quarterfinal round in the championship tournament.

Led by juniors and co-Conference Players the Year, Emma Larios and Evangelia Paulk, the Lions overwhelmed Arendell Parrott early. Larios, who leads ACA in scoring this season with 16.8 points per game, put her team ahead, 5-4, in the opening minutes, with a three-pointer from the corner.

The team’s second-leading scorer and top rebounder, Paulk, who posted a game-high 18 points against the Patriots, extended the first quarter lead with a three of her own. She would go on to hit another triple in the final seconds of the opening quarter, and add a buzzer-beating layup to give the Lions a 17-6 advantage.

Larios buried another three to open the second quarter, but landed awkwardly after a layup attempt minutes later. She would return in the second half, which ACA would enter with a 34-17 lead.

Larios, who finished with 13 points, re-entered the game halfway through the third quarter. She quickly corralled a steal before dishing it off to junior Elizabeth Harrington, who converted the pass for 2 of her 9 points in the game.

With a 21-point lead early in the fourth quarter, ACA head coach John Williams pulled his starting players, as eight Lions tallied points in the win.

ACA , on Tuesday, Feb. 22, will host the winner of Saturday’s matchup between No. 4 St. David’s School and No. 5 Concord Academy. A tipoff time has not yet been announced.

The Lions defeated Concord, 50-41, in their season opener at home this year. St. David’s and ACA did not meet in the regular season, but are both undefeated against mutual opponents, Cary Christian and Arendell Parrott.

Photos of the ACA Lions quarterfinal round victory over Arendell Parrott Academy can be found in the gallery at the top of the page.