Back in the big game

ACA returns to 3A State Championship game with 61-43 win over Concord Academy

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
February 22, 2022

For the third time in three years, the Asheville Christian Academy girls basketball team finds itself in what has now become a familiar position—playing for the NCISAA 3A State Championship.

The Lions hosted reigning champion Concord Academy, Feb. 22, in the semifinal round, and emerged with a 61-43 victory in Swannanoa.

The No. 5 seed Eagles have become a familiar foe for No. 1 ranked ACA, with the teams meeting in the state championship game in 2020 and 2021. The Lions took the title in the first championship matchup between the programs, while Concord Academy claimed it a year ago

The squads last met in November, when ACA opened its season with a 50-41 victory over the Eagles, and on Tuesday night, the Lions picked up where they left off.

Juniors Emma Larios and Elizabeth Harrington led the way, combining for 10 of the Lions 12 points in the opening quarter. Larios, the team’s leading scorer this season, finished with 18 points. Harrington, who was a strong presence down low against the Eagles, scored 15. Evangelia Paulk, another ACA junior, added 12 points in the winning effort.

The Lions would extend the lead to 9 in the second quarter, but Concord Academy cut it to 5 in the final seconds of the half. Lions freshman Sara Larios responded with a shot from well behind the 3-point arc to give her team a 28-20 lead at the buzzer.

ACA extended its lead to open the second half, as Paulk hit a jumper on her team’s first possession. While the Eagles responded with a basket on the other end, the older Larios sister knocked down a three to make it 33-22. The Lions would maintain that lead through most of the third quarter, taking a 42-31 advantage into the fourth.

As the teams took the court for the final quarter, an offensive rebound and put-back by Harrington gave the Lions their biggest advantage of the game. Head coach John Williams and his ACA team remained in control to close it out.

The Lions will travel to Wingate University, where they will face No. 2 seed High Point Christian Academy at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 26. The Cougars qualified for the championship game with a 61-52 victory over Forsyth Country Day School in the semifinal round.

The Lions won their only meeting with the Cougars this season, 47-42, when the teams faced off in High Point in December.

Photos of ACA’s victory over Concord Academy can be found in the gallery at the top of the page.