Lions fall to Knoxville Catholic in fourth quarter

ACA slides to 6-3 as Fighting Irish make late run

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
December 8, 2021

A missed shot at the buzzer against visiting Knoxville Catholic, Dec. 7, wasn’t enough to give the Asheville Christian Academy girls basketball team its third straight victory, as the home team fell, 49-48.

The Lions slid to 6-3 on the season, following a second half comeback by the Fighting Irish. 

ACA entered the contest after back-to-back victories on the road against Forsyth Country Day School and High Point Christian Academy to open the month of December. 

The Lions, who dressed six players against Knoxville Catholic, established an early lead with a pair of 3-pointers from Aliyah Corpening, who led the way with 10 points in the first half. Junior forward Evangelia Paulk added 9 of her own, giving ACA a 27-16 advantage at halftime. 

The Fighting Irish battled back in the third quarter, outscoring the home team, 17-9, and pulling to within 3. ACA fought to maintain its lead through the fourth quarter, as junior forward Elizabeth Harrington scored 8 of her 14 points. 

The Knoxville Catholic offense tied the game with 1:27 left to play, seizing a 49-46 lead less than a minute later with a 3-pointer by sophomore Sydney Mains. Paulk, who finished the night with 13 points, converted a pair of free throws to bring the Lions back to within 1. 

ACA would go on to force a turnover on the next Fighting Irish possession, stopping the clock with just over 10 seconds to go. The Lions would get one more look at the basket in the last seconds, as a driving Paulk slipped by two defenders for a layup attempt that didn’t fall. A rebound by Harrington gave ACA a final attempt at an in-bound play with 0.4 remaining on the clock, but Knoxville Catholic held on for the win. 

The Lions will be back at home, Tuesday, Nov. 14, when they host Rabun Gap-Nacoochee in their NCISAA Carolinas Conference opener.

Photos of the Dec. 7 game between ACA and Knoxville Catholic can be found in the gallery at the top of the page.