Faith Academy girls basketball braces for crucial stretch

CAPTION: Faith Academy senior guard Alyana Reyes (left) was one of several seniors honored before the win against Austin San Juan Diego. Photo by Stennis Shotts

The Faith Academy of Marble Falls girls basketball team is preparing for a final three-game stretch that will determine whether its season continues after the last regular season contest next week.

Now that the Lady Flames (17-9, 5-2) scorched Austin San Juan Diego 72-2 Jan. 31 in a matchup they led 54-0 before the Saints scored, they can focus solely on their last home game of the season against San Antonio Lutheran at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3.

Lutheran is ranked No. 3 in the latest Class 3A private schools poll of the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.

Then Faith travels to face Waco Live Oak, the No. 1 team in the state, Friday, Feb. 6, and ends the season at Temple Central Texas Christian Tuesday, Feb. 10. Both contests begin at 6 p.m. and are a part of District 4-3A of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools. Faith is ranked No. 4 in the state.

“We have to win one more game to make the playoffs,” head coach Harvey Vaughn said. “(Our district) has three playoff spots instead of four. This is the biggest week of the year. We have to be focused and locked in and ready to go.”

The reason the district has three postseason berths instead of three is because two district member schools didn’t have a girls team this year, so TAPPS officials took a playoff berth away from the district.

“We’re fighting for the third spot right now,” the coach said. “We’re in third place and we just need one more victory no matter who it’s against to lock in a spot.”

The Lady Flames lost at Lutheran 58-26 Jan. 15, lost to Live Oak 72-36 at home Jan. 20, and came from behind to beat CTC 52-44 Jan. 20 at home.

In the Jan. 20 contest, Faith trailed 20-9 after the first period, 30-24 at the half, and 41-35 after the third quarter before outscoring the Lady Lions 17-3 in the final stanza for the win.

“We beat them this year, we beat them both times last year,” Vaughn said. “It was a similar scenario, fighting for third or fourth place last year in the very last game of the year. It was a game where we had to come from behind at the end.”

As for the victory against San Juan Diego, Vaughn said the Lady Flames won that game in every phase. Vaughn distributed the minutes throughout the roster and was happy the intensity didn’t dip.

“I’m just impressed with the girls, that they came out with the mindset that that was what was going to happen,” he said. “That was different than the first time we played them (a 66-25 victory Jan. 13). It’s hard to get up for that game, obviously. As a coach you try to keep your team focused no matter who you’re playing. We made it a talking point, that you have to be ready to play every game, you have to come out and play your best no matter who you’re playing. It’s about how we played and living up to our standard.” 

CAPTION: Faith sophomore Layla Terrell scores two of her game-high 21 points during the victory against Austin San Juan Diego Jan. 31. Photo by Stennis Shotts