Faith Academy girls basketball welcomes Round Rock Christian

CAPTION: Faith Academy sophomore guard Lilly Koziel returns with more confidence thanks to the amount of work she put into her game during the offseason. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Faith Academy of Marble Falls girls basketball team will host Round Rock Christian at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, at The Fire Pit.

The Lady Flames (0-1) lost to Austin Regents 55-24 Nov. 11 in the season opener on the road. Senior post Natalie Weems led with eight points followed by sophomore guard Olivia Kraenzel with six, junior guard Lilly Koziel added three, sophomore guard Culeigh Zimmerman and Jasmine Young and junior post Megan Burrows each scored two, and sophomore Madison Winsborough dropped in one.

Weems and Kraenzel just finished their commitment to the volleyball team Nov. 8.

Head coach Harvey Vaughn, who is entering his second year at the helm, noted the team, which is ranked No. 8 in the Class 3A Private Schools poll of the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, lost only one player to graduation. Other returners are sophomore guards Selby Sanchez and Layla Terrell.

“We look very similar to last year,” he said. “Pretty much nine of the 10 are back and then we added one freshman, Graylee Bergman, and a sophomore who’s very athletic, Ashlyn Rishavy. Last year five or six girls alternated (starting) depending on who we were playing or what we thought we needed or who was playing better at the time. So really I feel like we have five starters coming back.”

During the summer, the Lady Flames played in a summer league that included Dripping Springs, Fischer Canyon Lake, Johnson City, Marble Falls and San Antonio Davenport. That commitment to playing helped Faith in many ways, Vaughn said.

“Going through that process of showing up, scared to death and by the end of it, they were winning games and here and there and understanding that it’s just basketball and we got to play and compete,” he said. “Their skills have developed significantly, which is a huge difference trying to play basketball, trying to play the game when you’re having to think about and look at dribbling down the court. It’s just a different game than when you can catch the ball on the run and look down the court and make passes. They are much more confident in what they’re doing. They can play a lot faster and do a lot more things.” 

Vaughn smiled when asked where he has witnessed the most improvement.

“On the first day when they walk into the gym as sophomores, it’s a totally different thing than when they walked in as freshmen,” he said. “(Last year) they came in, they were apprehensive with a new coach. They had never competed at this level. They were getting ready to compete, even in practice. It’s a long season, it’s difficult to play then they’re playing freshmen against juniors and seniors. I tell parents every year at the meeting to be prepared because no matter how good your freshman is, it’s going to be the most difficult season she’s ever had because of the adjustment even if she’s played club ball. Generally in club ball, you’re playing your age (group). But here you’re going against a girl who’s three years older who’s bigger and stronger.”

But not this year. Because the Lady Flames have been in the gym working on their skills and in the weight room getting stronger, Vaughn believes fans will see more self-belief in each player. Add in another year in his system, and the Lady Flames are poised to improve on their third place finish in District 4-3A of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools and add more than one playoff win this season. Last year Faith beat Huntsville Alpha Omega Academy 57-37 in the playoffs before losing to district rival Waco Live Oak 58-48 to end the season.

Live Oak, which is ranked No. 1, won the state thanks to beating Abilene Christian in the championship game and district rival San Antonio Lutheran in the state semifinals.

“We have a good group of girls who have all been putting in the extra work,” the coach said. “And some of them have been putting a lot of work – they haven’t stopped since last season. So there have been a few of them who have made significant strides in their skill level.”

CAPTION: Faith Academy sophomore guards Selby Sanchez (5) and Olivia Kraenzel committed to improving throughout the last several months. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro