Faith Academy boys basketball beats Huntsville Alpha Omega
CAPTION: Faith Academy sophomore guard Austin Skahill ensures the Flames keep a lead against Huntsville Alpha Omega to advance to the Class 3A state tournament of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools. Photo by Stennis Shotts
The Faith Academy of Marble Falls boys basketball team scorched Huntsville Alpha Omega 55-36 Feb. 20 in a regional final to earn the right to play at the Class 3A state tournament of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools.
The Flames will meet District 4-3A rival Waco Live Oak at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, at Waco Robinson High School. The Falcons (30-5, 12-0) won both regular season games 72-52 and 57-49.
Faith will play in the Final Four for the second time in program history. The first was during the 2020-21 season when the Flames defeated Galveston O’Connell 89-78 to advance to the state tournament and lost to Houston Grace Christian Academy 86-70 in the state seifinals.
“It was a complete team effort,” head coach Zakk Revelle said about the Alpha Omega win. “Our relentlessness on defense is really what got us going. We just came out and played with great energy and great effort. And we don’t think that we played our best offensive game. I think that’s clear with only scoring 55 points. We can definitely score more and play better offensively.”
Faith led 18-1 after the first quarter and never trailed.
“Our defense never let up,” Revelle said. “The fact that we only gave up 36 to a team that’s averaging in the 60s and we’re also able to keep them to almost a point a minute was a big deal to us, and so we were excited to win.”
The Flames built their lead thanks to their transition offense that produced quick buckets and timely baskets that simply took the hearts away from Alpha Omega.
One came from sophomore Hutton Lehmberg, who had an offensive rebound off a missed free throw and was fouled. Senior guard Jace Marshall continued to drive to the basket for buckets and fouls, sophomore guard Jadyn Jenkins “did a great job of getting the ball inside” to senior center Judah Phillips.
“We had four possessions in a row where we got the ball to No. 34 (Phillips) early, and they were just quick, easy buckets,” the coach said. “When something like that happens, it builds a lead, it compounds upon itself. Then in the second half, we did a great job of running our offense and keeping them at bay.”
Fouls forced Revelle to change the lineup and the Flames delivered – sophomores Austin Skahill and Hudson Tatum and junior Wade Dillard all made plays on both ends to ensure the a double-digit lead.
Still, no matter who was on the floor for Faith, the Flames still kept the same defensive commitment.
“Lots of teams can score 18 points in a quarter, (but) lots of teams can’t hold teams to one,” Revelle said. “We’ve had some games where we held teams to zero points, we’ve had some games where we’ve held teams to single digits, and that’s just something that if we wanted to get back to the Final Four and give ourselves a chance at winning the whole thing, you have to play defense. You have to make sure that you get stops on the road. You get stops in playoff games. And so we’ve taken a lot of pride in playing defense. It’s been so much less about offense — we rarely talk about offense as much as we talk about defense.”
Alpha Omega beat the Flames 68-51 in The Fire Pit a year ago to end their season. Faith learned a lot from that experience, the coach said.
“Quite frankly, they went crazy from the 3-point line and we just didn’t respond well,” he said. “And so I thought we responded well (in the rematch). We’re just happy that we won and get another trip to the Final Four, and these guys get to etch their name in Faith Academy basketball history. We also understand that there’s still a job to be done. And so we’re excited for the next challenge.”
CAPTION: Faith Academy sophomore Hudson Tatum continues to be a solid contributor to what the Flames want to do on both ends. Photo by Stennis Shotts
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