Lions roar out of the break

ACA men’s basketball team avenges loss to Winston Salem Christian

Jonathan Bennett
Contributor
The Valley Echo
January 19, 2021

Before the Christmas break, the Asheville Christian Academy men’s basketball team lost a hard-fought and heated contest against Winston Salem Christian, but last week in the Swannanoa Valley the Lions flipped the scoreboard. 

ACA used a zone defense to stifle Winston Salem Christian throughout the first half posting a 14-2 start and a 22-point halftime advantage. In the second half, Winston Salem Christian made a run, eventually cutting the Lions advantage to ten points but they were unable to get any closer. 

Seniors Max Rogers and Kavan Horton made 3-pointers to stifle the run and in the final two minutes, Deante Green scored two buckets around the basket to end any threat. The Lions came away with a 78-63 win. 

Senior Collin Mills led the Lions with 24 points while Rogers added 15. Horton scored 12 points in the victory, and De’Ante Green chipped in 10 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. Green’s performance cemented the team’s first double-double of the season. The Lions look to kick off their first winning streak of the season beginning with their next matchup against Knoxville Catholic. The Lions fell to the Fighting Irish earlier in the season in a nip and tuck affair.

Asheville Christian Academy senior Collin Mills led the Lions with 24 points in a victory over Winston Salem Christian last week. Photo by Fred McCormick

The ACA girls team rebounded from a 30-point loss to Winston Salem Christian earlier in the season with a strong performance that came up just short. ACA led 13-12 at the end of the first quarter and 24-22 at the half. 

However, a surge by Winston Salem Christian in the third quarter fueled by a full-court defense helped propel them to the 55-50 win. Senior Nandhi Smith led the Lions with 21 points while sophomore Emma Larios added 11 points. The ACA girls will take on Knoxville Catholic early this week followed up with a conference tilt against Rabun Gap.

For more information about ACA visit www.ashevillechristian.org.  For more info about Lion athletics follow the Twitter account @ACAAthletics.