By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
For more than two months, the Alamance Christian School boys’ basketball team came up with all the answers.
The Warriors needed that winning formula for just one more day.
ACS reached the state championship game of the North Carolina Christian School Association’s Class 2-A state playoffs, falling short in Saturday’s final. Wilmington Christian claimed a 53-37 victory in a game played at Calvary Christian in King.
On the two previous days, ACS received widespread contributions and a significant comeback to advance in the postseason.
ACS won the quarterfinal last Thursday by topping Living Water Christian at Triad Baptist Christian in Kernersville. Garrett Brown posted 21 points, Brogan Grandstaff, who drained three 3-point shots, supplied 16 points and Holden Yakola added 11 points and eight rebounds.
ACS coach Jerry Bailey said Yakola was largely responsible for holding 6-foot-8 Jaiden Cooper of Living Water Christian, a Jacksonville school, to four points along with help from Aiden Christian and Jonah Oakley.
At the same site for the semifinals Friday, ACS defeated the host school and defending champions by 52-47, overcoming a 13-point, third-quarter deficit vs. Triad Baptist Christian.
Defensive pressure from ACS brothers Carlos Mejia and Daniel Mejia helped shift the momentum.
“It was kind of hard to describe,” Bailey said. “All of a sudden, our defense picked way up. And we started shooting it really well.”
Brown’s 3-pointer pushed the Warriors to a 48-47 lead and Yakola followed with two free throws. Brown and Carlos Mejia later added one foul shot each. ACS scored the final 10 points of the game, avenging a 10-point loss from November and reversing the outcome of a meeting last February that ended the Warriors’ season.
Brown finished with 26 points, Yakola contributed 16 points and 12 rebounds and Breyden Aiken notched nine points.
That result pushed the Warriors to a 15-game winning streak.
Bailey said that Wilmington Christian’s size was too much for ACS to contend with in the final. The Warriors trailed 41-32 entering the fourth quarter but couldn’t generate enough offense.
Still, it goes down as a successful season for ACS.
“I would have told you in early December that we would be lucky to make the tournament,” Bailey said.
The Warriors led the NCCSA in defensive scoring average. In their last three games, they held opponents to about 20 points below their scoring averages.
ACS finished the season with a 21-5 record, reaching the 21-win level for the second season in a row. The Warriors were pursuing their first state championship since 2019.
“I thought we might do it again,” Bailey said. “The confidence was there (after the semifinal).”
Nine seniors were part of the ACS roster.
“I’m going to miss them,” Bailey said. “It was an extremely positive season. The kids were just perfect to work with.”
ACS girls fall in quarterfinals
The ACS girls’ team lost 25-23 to Wilson Christian in last Thursday’s quarterfinal at Vandalia Christian in Greensboro. The Warriors ended with a 15-7 record.
