ACA Defeats Elmore County on the Road

The Lady Eagles (5-4) survived a bumpy second half and held on for a 40-35 win over Elmore County Monday night. ACA dominated in the first half as the Panther offense was stagnant. The Eagles built a 21-10 lead at the break, but lost the lead in just over four minutes in the third period. Alabama Christian did just enough in the second half to walk away with the win. Mary Rachel Hunt came off the bench and gave the team valuable minutes in the second half and contributed to the victory.

ACA jumped out to a quick 7-1 lead as Adalyn Newkirk hit two from long distance for six quick points. After seeing that, the freshman became the focal point of the home team’s defense the rest of the night. The Eagles held an 11-4 lead at the end of the first quarter as Elmore County made their first basket from the field with less than a minute to go in the period. ACA kept the defensive pressure going in the second as the Panthers struggled offensively. The visitors built a 21-10 lead with just over two minutes to go in the second and the score remained for the remainder of the half.

A different Elmore County came out in the third quarter as they made their first three shots from the field to cut the lead to 23-18 in just over a minute. By comparison, the Panthers only made two shots from the floor in the entire first half. Campbell Hammett scored to make the score 25-18, but Elmore County responded with six straight points to cut the lead to one with 3:25 left in the third. ACA never led by more than six points for the rest of the game, but also never allowed the Panthers to take the lead. Hammett and Sam Burgess both made shots late in the third to give the Eagles a 31-28 lead after three.

The Panthers scored on their opening possession of the final period to make the score 31-30. After the initial basket neither team scored for more than two minutes until Sam Burgess knocked down a three for a four-point lead. Addison Smith had a steal and score on the next play to build the biggest lead of the half, 36-30. Mary Rachel Hunt had a put back scored sandwiched between two Elmore County scores to give ACA a 38-34 lead with 3:06 left in the game. The second drought of the game hit as the next point wasn’t scored until Elmore County made a free throw with 20 seconds left in the game. Smith made two freebies with 4.9 seconds left to seal the 40-35 victory.

Adalyn Newkirk’s 11 points, all in the first half, led the team. She also recorded eight rebounds and three steals. Addison Smith had 10 points with a team-high nine rebounds, five steals, and three assists. Campbell Hammett finished with eight points, seven rebounds, and three assists while Sam Burgess had seven points and four rebounds.

Levi Summers' Buzzer Beater Lifts Eagles Over Autauga Academy

For the second time this week the script read the same way for Alabama Christian and Autauga Academy. ACA handled the Generals easily in the JV boys and Varsity girls games, but the Varsity boys game was a thriller that gave the Eagle faithful palpitations. ACA trailed by one with 5.5 seconds left in the game and had to go the length of the court. The ball was inbound to Levi Summers who drove the floor, pulled up from three, and hit the winner as the buzzer sounded.

Boys

Both teams worked on defenses specifically designed to stop the two top scorers from Tuesday night’s game. Both teams planned worked and others were forced to step up and deliver offensively. Autauga Academy scored the first four points of the game but ACA (4-5) quickly tied it up and neither team led by more than three points for the rest of the first period. In the second quarter, an Ethan Capps basket gave the Eagles a 16-15 lead. However, the Generals scored the final six points of the quarter for their biggest lead of the half, 21-16.

The offense continued to sputter in the third which allowed Autauga to build a 10-point lead, 35-25, with just under three minutes left in the third. ACA closed the quarter with an 11-4 run to cut the lead to three points after three. Mason Henry connected on back to back shots for the first five points of the run while Noah Shack, Christian Snipes, and Ethan Capps scored the other points. The home team held ACA at arms length for most of the fourth quarter as they built a six-point lead on three different occasions. The last time with was with about three minutes left to play and the Generals decided to slow things down and run some clock. ACA took advantage when they did decide to shoot with timely rebounding. Capps scored to cut the lead to 43-47 and after another Generals missed shot Levi Summers hit a three from the top of the key to cut the margin to one point. As the clock ticked under a minute, AJ Shannon came up with a steal and found Summers for another three opportunity. Although the sophomore missed, Snipes was there for the put back to give Alabama Christian the lead, 48-47, with 50 seconds left to play. After missing yet again, the Generals had to foul to force free throws and finally sent ACA to the line with 14.6 seconds left. The Eagles missed both free throws and to make matters worse fouled Autauga’s best player with 5.5 seconds left to go. The senior guard made both to set up the heroics from Summers. He did not disappoint as he stunned a rowdy student section into silence with the dagger from deep and the 51-49 victory.

Christian Snipes led the team with 14 points along with nine rebounds. Levi Summers recorded a double-double with 13 points and 15 boards while Ethan Capps contributed 11 points and five rebounds.

Girls

The girls game on Friday night was not as pleasing to the eye as Tuesday’s contest, but the result was the same. The game was sloppy and riddled with turnovers. The score was still 4-2 more than halfway through the first quarter before the Generals finally melted under the defensive pressure of ACA. The Lady Eagles built a nine-point lead after a quarter and shut the home team out in the second for a 25-5 halftime lead. Like Tuesday, the backups logged important minutes in the second half. ACA continued to pull away as they led by thirty-five after three. The fourth quarter was over in a blink as the clock ran continuously even through free throws and timeouts. The final margin of victory was 50-12.

Campbell Hammett was the only Eagle in double figures as six other players scored between four and six points. The senior finished with 14 points with nine steals, seven rebounds, and three assists. Adalyn Newkirk had six points, four steals, and three rebounds. Addison Smith had five points with four steals while Sam Burgess also scored five points with ten steals and four rebounds.

Alabama Christian Sweeps Autauga Academy at Home

Both the boys and girls varsity teams stopped losing streaks as they defeated the visiting Generals from Autauga Academy on Tuesday night. The girls team won convincingly 66-10 while the boys won an exciting match up 63-59.

Boys

After the JV boys and varsity girls rolled easily by Autauga Academy, the ACA faithful might have thought the nightcap would be a breeze as well. However, the Generals came to play and the game was hard fought throughout. After Christian Snipes scored the first basket of the game, Autauga Academy punched the Eagles right in the mouth with 14 straight points over a three minute stretch. The Generals hit 5 of 6 shots in the run for the 14-2 lead. Ethan Capps and Alex Heilman combined for the final six points of the quarter to cut the deficit to eight points after one. ACA trimmed the General lead to one point twice during the second but could never surge ahead. ACA outscored the visitors 17-13 in the quarter but trailed 25-29 at the half.

The Eagles scored on its first three possessions of the second half to take a 33-29 lead less than two minutes into the period. The lead was never larger than four points for either side during the third as Autauga Academy led 46-42 headed to the final quarter. Two quick scores by Christian Snipes tied the game 46-46 less than a minute into the fourth. The Generals answered and built their biggest lead of the half, 53-48, with five minutes left to play. ACA responded with a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to lead 57-53. Four different players, Snipes, Noah Shack, Levi Summers, and Ethan Capps, scored in the run. The Generals tied it 59-59 with less than two minutes left. Capps put ACA ahead to stay as he drove the right side for a layup and a 61-59 lead with 1:01 left in the game. Snipes added two free throws with 23.4 seconds left to clinch it, 63-59.

Christian Snipes led all scorers with 25 points along with four rebounds and three assists. Ethan Capps scored 22 points as he stepped up in a much needed second scorer role on offense. Levi Summers finished with nine points and a team-high 13 rebounds.

Girls

Alabama Christian dominated from the opening tip as they led 28-0 after one and scored the game’s first 31 points. The team had a season high 19 assists as they ran the floor and looked for the open teammate. Eleven different girls scored during the game. The Generals got on the board a minute into the second quarter and trailed 38-6 at the half. The starters saw very little floor time in the second half as the backups gained valuable experience. ACA led 53-8 after three and the final score was 66-10.

Adalyn Newkirk outscored the opponent with 17 points and added seven rebounds. Addison Smith had 11 points, four steals, three rebounds, and three assists. Campbell Hammett finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and three assists.

Lady Eagles Split Late Week Games

After defeating LAMP on Tuesday, ACA’s busy week continued as they hosted Holtville on Thursday and traveled to PCA on Friday. Alabama Chrsitian (2-2) defeated Holtville 49-33 but dropped a hard fought game to PCA, 39-44.

Holtville

The girls team has never lost to Holtville in a series that began back in 1994. Thursday’s contest was the thirty-third meeting and the Eagles have won all 33. ACA started strong as Adalyn Newkirk (8) and Addison Smith (5) combined to score all 13 first quarter points. The visiting Bulldogs hit a free throw with 50 seconds left in the period for their first points. ACA led 13-1 after one. Sam Burgess dialed long distance a couple of times early in the second to help build a 21-2 cushion. The game looked like it would be another typical blowout. The Holtville coach called a timeout with 5:34 left in the half and must have said the right things because his team responded. The visitors ended the half on a 14-3 run to cut the lead at the break to eight points, 24-16. Newkirk had already posted a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds in the first half. The game remained relatively close through the third quarter as Holtville cut the lead to six early in the period. Piper Powers hit two free throws with 1:02 left in the third to give the home team a double digit lead for good. Sam Burgess scored again with 32 seconds left to give ACA a 12-point lead after three. ACA outscored Holtville 14-10 in the fourth for the 49-33 victory.

Adalyn Newkirk was the game’s leading scorer with 17 points. The freshman dominated on the glass with 20 rebounds along with five assists and four steals. Sam Burgess found her touch from outside as she finished with 14 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Campbell Hammett had eight points and five steals.

PCA

The Eagles knew that the game Friday against PCA would be their toughest test of the week even though the Panthers aren’t nearly as good as they have been over the past decade. The coaching staff put together a good plan for the game, but ACA made too many mistakes down the stretch and ran out of steam late in the game. The Lady Eagles jumped to a 6-0 early lead and led 12-9 at the end of the first thanks to a combined three 3-pointers from Sam Burgess and Adalyn Newkirk. Another Burgess three in the second gave ACA a 17-11 lead matching their biggest lead of the game. PCA gained momentum late in the half and finished with a 13-3 run to take a 24-20 lead into the break.

Once again ACA scored the first six points of the half to retake the lead, 26-24. The score remained close for the rest of the quarter and PCA led 31-28 after three. Adalyn Newkirk’s three tied the game 31-31 and Addison Smith’s steal and scored gave ACA a 33-31 lead with five minutes left in the game. PCA answered with a 9-0 run for their biggest lead of the night, 40-33. The Eagles were able to cut the lead to three with 34 seconds left, but PCA hit its final two free throws for the 44-39 win.

For the second night in a row, Adalyn Newkirk led the offense with 17 points along with 10 rebounds and six steals. Sam Burgess scored nine points while Addison Smith finished with seven points, five rebounds, and three steals.

Alabama Christian Sweeps LAMP on the Road

Both varsity teams picked up their first wins of the season with impressive wins at LAMP on Tuesday. The games begin a busy week of basketball as both teams play on Thursday and Friday as well.

The Lady Eagles never trailed as they led 7-0 after a quarter and scored the first eight points overall in the game. The stingy ACA defense had 24 steals on the night that led to 35 Tiger turnovers. LAMP’s first points came from the free throw line with 6:47 left in the second as they only made two shots from the field in the first half. Despite the dominant defense, the Eagles lead at the break was only seven points, 19-12. The offense heated up in the third as they outscored LAMP 22-6 in the period. Adalyn Newkirk scored ten in the quarter to lead the charge. The dominance continued in the fourth as the final basket of the night by Mary Rachel Hunt gave ACA its biggest lead of the game, 54-22. The bench scored 11 of the 13 points in the final frame.

Adalyn Newkirk led the offense with 15 points along with six rebounds and two blocks. Addison Smith had an all around good game with 12 points, nine rebounds, eight steals, and five assists while Campbell Hammett finished with seven points, seven steals, and four rebounds.

The boys game was not a thing of beauty, at least offensively, but the Eagles did enough and held off a LAMP comeback in the second half. Christian Snipes scored all six first quarter points as ACA led 6-2 after one. The Alabama Christian defense forced the home team to miss all seven of their shots in the period. In the second, the points continued to be hard to come by as Beau Gainey scored the first four to give the Eagles a 10-4 lead midway through the period. Snipes scored the last four to build a 14-4 lead with just over two minutes left in the half. However, LAMP managed to score twice in the final 43 seconds to cut the lead to 14-8 at the break. Much like the girls game, a half of dominance defensively did not equate to a commanding lead.

ACA got off to a good start in the second half as a Noah Shack bucket put the visitors up 23-11 with just over five minutes left in the quarter. LAMP responded with their best run of the night as they outscored the Eagles 12-2 over a four minute span to cut the lead to 25-23. ACA, and sometimes the officials, helped the cause as the Eagles were whistled for five fouls in the stretch. Mason Henry hit a three with less than a minute to go in the third to give his team a 28-23 advantage heading to the fourth. The final quarter belonged to ACA as they outscored LAMP 16-8. for a final margin of 44-31.

Christian Snipes was the game’s leading scorer with 17 points and led the team with eight rebounds and four assists. Mason Henry finished with eight points and four rebounds while Alex Heilman contributed seven points and five boards.

ACA Opens Season Against Lee-Scott

The varsity basketball season started on Thursday as Alabama Christian hosted Lee-Scott Academy. The games were a late addition to the schedule as both the boys and girls teams were looking to gain valuable floor time for new and inexperienced players. Both teams will look drastically different this season. For the girls, all five starters were seniors and accounted for 80% of the offense and rebounding last season. Although not all five starters were seniors for the boys, there were eight total seniors and one player who moved away that accounted for 75% of the scoring and rebounds. Only two players are back from last year’s boys team. Learning roles and trying to figure out where the offense will come from will be major themes for each coach in the early season.

The girls game was riddled with fouls and turnovers which affected the flow of the game. Both teams combined for 47 turnovers and 37 fouls which resulted in 45 free throw attempts. Adalyn Newkirk scored the first point of the year with a first quarter free throw and Campbell Hammett made the first shot from the field as she hit a three in the first to cut the Warrior lead to four points, 8-12. After the Hammett make, Lee-Scott finished the period with a 6-0 run to take a ten point lead after a quarter. A Piper Powers bucket cut the lead to seven late in the second, but that was as close as the Eagles would get. An 8-0 Warrior run to end the half made the halftime score 29-14. Lee-Scott pulled away in the second half and went on to win by a score of 58-32.

Campbell Hammett led the team in scoring with 10 points and added three rebounds. Adalyn Newkirk scored nine points and pulled down a team high 12 rebounds. Piper Powers was a spark off the bench as she scored five points and had four rebounds. Peri Laine Holley recorded a team best three steals.

The boys game was also plagued by fouls as both teams combined for 45 fouls. Both offenses struggled early as the teams missed their first nine combined shots. The first score of the night was made by Lee-Scott with 3:52 left in the first. Levi Summers scored the first basket for ACA as he put back a Cam Sutton miss. The visitors hit a three at the buzzer to take a 12-6 lead after one. The Eagles opened the second by committing four fouls in the first 43 seconds of the quarter. The Warriors shot free throws after any foul for the last 5:45 of the half. With just over three minutes in the half, Noah Shack hit two free throws to bring the deficit back to single digits. However, that was as close as the team would get. ACA trailed by fourteen at the half, 16-30. Lee-Scott consistently increased the lead throughout the second half. The Warriors led by 23 after three quarters and broke the 30-point barrier with 3:47 left in the game which constituted a running clock for the remainder of the game. Lee-Scott would win by a final score of 72-38.

Christian Snipes led the team in scoring with 14 points and five rebounds. Noah Shack finished with nine points while Ethan Capps added six of his own.

Alabama Christian Handles Dallas County Easily

ACA finished Area play on Saturday with a trip to the middle of nowhere to take on Dallas County. As fans turned on a dirt road (County Road 86) as part of their trek to Valley Grande, “Dueling Banjos” could be heard in the distance. The outcome of either game would not change the opponent for next week’s Area tournament, but both teams wanted to finish with a win.

The girls game was supposed to be relatively easy, but the Lady Hornets showed life a couple of times in the game. ACA scored the first six points of the game and seemed to relax a bit, but Dallas County woke them up quickly with scores on three straight possessions to cut the lead to one point, 8-7. With 5:12 left in the first quarter, Coach Cantrell called a timeout in frustration to help focus her troops. The timeout was successful as the home team did not score again until there was 3:07 left in the first half. The Eagles finished the quarter with an 11-0 run to lead 19-7 after one. The second period was more of the same as Alabama Christian stretched its lead to 44-13 at the half.

With a huge lead it is sometimes easy for a team to lose its intensity and when the Hornet point guard weaved through the whole defense for a layup 30 seconds into the third, Coach Cantrell got the attention of her team. With only four players on the bench, the coach asked the official if she could play with just four players. When he said yes the starters were all pulled and the four subs were sent in. The four players played the next 3:50 of the period and were only outscored by three points during the stretch. With a new determination ACA finished the quarter with a 61-29 cushion. The clock ran in the fourth and the Eagles cruised to the 67-33 victory.

Jaide Newkirk led the offense with 14 points and four rebounds while Campbell Hammett finished with 11 points, four rebounds, and three steals. Katelyn Sutton had nine points, seven assists, and four steals while Adalyn Newkirk finished with eight points, three rebounds, three steals, and three assists.

In the boys game, Dallas County had one player, one offensive play, and one group of officials who made sure the star player was handled with care. The Hornet player shot 21 free throws, on his way to 51 points, on the night as all of the other players in the game shot 23 free throws combined. Three of the four players who spent time guarding the player fouled out for ACA.

Despite the way the game was called, Alabama Christian hung close as neither team led by more than five points until the final minute of the third. ACA trailed by two (16-18) at the end of the first and led by two (34-32) at halftime. ACA trailed by just two points with 1:28 left in the game, but did not score again and sent the Hornets (more accurately #3) to the foul line as Dallas County pulled away in the final minute for the 81-66 win. The Eagles coaching staff has a week to figure out a way to slow down the Dallas County standout as the two teams will meet in next week’s Area tournament.

Connor Mark led the offense with 26 points along with six rebounds and three assists. Jayden Jones had 14 points while Christian Snipes finished with 10 points.

Alabama Christian will have Senior Night on Tuesday, January 28th to close out the regular season.

Eagles Defeat St James by Twenty for Second Time This Season

ACA defeated its host, St James, by the exact score as their first match up ten days ago, 59-39. The Eagles vaulted to an early 12-2 lead in the first as the offense fed the hot hand of Christian Snipes, who had eight points during the stretch. The Trojans cut the lead in half, but a three-point play from Jayden Jones and an offensive put back by Sam Davidson gave ACA a 19-11 lead after one. ACA played uninspired in the second period and only scored two points in the first five-plus minutes of the quarter. Luckily, the St James wasn’t much better as Alabama Christian led 21-16 with 2:31 left in the half. ACA finished the second on a 7-1 run to take a 28-17 at the half.

The Trojans were unable to put a dent in the ACA lead in the third as they still trailed by eleven with 3:41 left in the period. Once again, ACA finished the quarter strong as they outscored the home team 12-4 to take a 46-27 lead into the fourth. Jayden Jones found AC Walters multiple times in the post to help Walters lead the team with nine points in the quarter. In the fourth both teams emptied the bench to allow the backups to gain experience on the floor. Bryson Dabney came out smoking as he hit 3 of 6 three-pointers in the period. ACA final margin of victory would be twenty points once again.

AC Walters led the team with 14 points and seven rebounds. Christian Snipes finished with 12 points followed by Sam Davidson with 10 points and five rebounds, and Jayden Jones with nine points and six assists.

Two years ago, nobody was happier than Trinity when PCA was moved up to 4A by the AHSAA after back to back state titles. Trinity took advantage and went back to back in PCA’s absence. This year, St James is the beneficiary of both PCA and Trinity being in 4A and has potentially opened the path for them to win a championship. On Friday night, St James handled ACA easily as the Eagles played timidly most of the night. The home team led by fifteen after one and built a 47-16 lead by halftime. There might be a few future Trojan coaches amongst the players as they have already learned how to cry about calls even when firmly in control of the game. St James emptied its bench and played its JV squad in the fourth quarter as ACA dropped the game 43-73.

Katelyn Sutton and Jaide Newkirk led the offense as both had nine points. Newkirk also added six rebounds. Evelyn Tankersley had eight points and a team high eight rebounds with three blocked shots.

ACA Defeats Wetumpka with Second Half Surge

Due to the impending weather, schedules for teams in the area have been turned upside down. It was nice to get a game in Monday night despite all of the uncertainty. The Lady Eagles (19-4) hosted Wetumpka and completed the season sweep with a 45-34 defeat of the Indians. ACA played sloppily in the first half as they turned the ball over on 14 of 35 possessions and shot 6 for 25 from the field, but outscored the visitors 30-15 in the second half to pull away.

Jaide Newkirk hit a shot on the team’s second offensive set for the first points of the game. After the initial score both teams offense’s were as cold as the temperature outside. Neither team scored for the next four and a half minutes as the teams combined to miss fifteen shots and commit nine turnovers. With 2:45 left in the period, Wetumpka made a free throw followed by two points the next time down the floor for a 3-2 lead. ACA closed the quarter with back to back threes by Adalyn Newkirk and Sam Burgess for a 10-6 lead at the quarter break. Burgess hit another long one to start the second to give the Eagles a 13-6 lead, but once again the offense went cold for the remainder of the half as they scored only one other time in the quarter. The Indians scored five points in the final minute of the half to retake the lead. Wetumpka outscored ACA 13-5 in the period for a 19-15 lead at intermission.

The Indians connected on a couple of freebies to start the second half, but ACA responded with a 7-0 run to retake the lead. Katelyn Sutton, Evelyn Tankersley, and A’Kirra McElveen each scored a bucket in the run. After a Wetumpka score, Izzy Warrick put the Eagles ahead for good with 4:32 left in the third. Sutton drew a charge on the next play and Alabama Christian scored on its next two possessions for a 28-23 lead. The third ended with a Sam Burgess three ball and an and-one conversion by Warrick for a 34-25 lead after three. It took two and a half minutes to accomplish, but the visitors scored the first four points of the final quarter to cut the lead to five points. The Lady Eagles responded with their second 7-0 run of the half as Sutton, Tankersley, and Adalyn Newkirk all hit big shots to extend the lead to 41-29. ACA’s last four points came from the charity stripe over the final 1:39 for the 45-34 victory.

Izzy Warrick led the offense with 10 points, all in the second half. Sam Burgess had nine points with a 3 for 5 night behind the arc. Evelyn Tankersely finished with eight points, twelve rebounds, and five blocks while Adalyn Newkirk also had eight points. A’Kirra McElveen also corraled twelve rebounds while Katelyn Sutton led the team with six assists.

ACA Impressive in Area Sweep of Dallas County

Alabama Christian earned a much needed Area win as they defended their home court with a 70-59 defeat of Dallas County. The contest was tight through the first three quarters, but the Eagles took control in the fourth and wore the Hornets down. Only five players scored on the night, but four were in double figures in a well balanced attack.

Dallas County jumped out to a 6-2 lead, but a Connor Mark basket cut the lead to a deuce. On the next possession, Jayden Jones had a steal and layup to tie the game. The defensive play got Jones going as he scored the team’s next seven points as he hit his first four shots from the field. Dallas County outscored ACA 16-8 over the second half of the quarter to open a 23-18 lead after one. The Eagles stayed close in the second, but could never make a serious run at the lead until late. The momentum started to swing in the final minute of the half as Alabama Christian finished on a 6-0 run as Mark scored once and Sam Davidson hit two shots to make the score 32-34 at the break.

ACA outscored the visitors 13-4 to take a 45-38 lead midway through the third. Four different players scored in the run punctuated by a Sam Davidson long ball to open up the seven point lead. The Hornets responded and brought the game back to even after three as the game was tied 46-46. The Eagles saved their best for last as they outplayed Dallas County over the final eight minutes of the game. ACA scored eight quick points as Mac Moorer hit a three followed by a Christian Snipes two and a Jayden Jones three in the first minute of the period. Dallas County made one last run at the lead as they cut the lead to three points with just over three minutes to play. The Eagles did not panic and outscored the Hornets 10-2 down the stretch for the 70-59 win.

Christian Snipes led the offense with 22 points, 18 in the second half, with five rebounds. Jayden Jones had 18 points, a team high eight rebounds, and four assists. Mac Moorer finished with 15 points and six rebounds while Sam Davidson had 10 points and five rebounds.

The girls game had much less intrigue than the boys did. Dallas County was late arriving and were not allowed any warm up time. The Lady Hornets came straight out of the locker room and right to the tip off. Honestly, it probably didn’t matter as Dallas County was greatly over matched in the contest. ACA led 18-3 after one and the rout was on. Jaide Newkirk’s nine points paced the offense in the first. The other Newkirk sparked the offense in the second quarter as Adalynn scored eleven in the period to help lead the Eagles to a 40-9 lead at the half.

Because of the lopsided nature of the game, it was decided the entire second half would have a running clock. ACA blanked Dallas County in the third, 15-0 as the lead grew to 55-9. The fourth quarter was much of the same as the Lady eagles cruised to a 67-12 victory. Seven different players scored in the second half.

Adalynn Newkirk led the team with 15 points and added four rebounds. Katelyn Sutton stuffed the box score with 12 points, nine steals, six assists, and five rebounds Jaide Newkirk had 12 points and six rebounds while Izzy Warrick finished with 10 points, five rebounds, five steals, and three assists.

ACA will have the weekend off and will resume Area play on Tuesday, January 14, as they host St James.

Lady Eagles Defeat Westminster-Oak Mountain Easily

Alabama Christian played their last games of the Christmas break on Saturday as they hosted Westminster-Oak Mountain. The girls continued their winning ways with a 20-point victory while the boys let one get away from them as they lost a close game against the Knights.

The way the girls contest started it looked like ACA (15-2) was in for a shootout against Westminster. The visitors hit four of their first five shots as the two teams were tied 17-17 after a quarter. The Knights came back to earth for the remainder of the game as they managed just 23 points over the final three quarters. A three at the buzzer by Katelyn Sutton tied the game. The Eagles scored the first thirteen points of the second period which gave them a little breathing room. Sutton’s eight points during the run sparked the team. Izzy Warrick hit a long one at the end of the half for the second buzzer beater of the game to give ACA a 36-21 lead at the break.

Jaide Newkirk and Evelyn Tankersley combined for Alabama Christian’s first eight points of the second half to take the score to 44-22. ACA outscored the Knights 17-1 over a six and a half minute span to begin the quarter. The home team led 57-27 after three. Since the Eagles led by 30 the mandatory running clock was instituted. With the pressure of the outcome gone, Westminster got hot again with a 7-2 run to start the fourth. The Knights finished the game by scoring the last six points of the afternoon to make the final score 61-40.

Katelyn Sutton led all scorers with 21 points and added six assists and five rebounds. Jaide Newkirk finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. Evelyn Tankersley led the team with ten rebounds and three steals.

In the boys game it seemed as if ACA (9-7) had superior individual talent, but in the end Westminster proved to be the better team. Time and time again the Knights broke the Alabama Christian pressure as the defense failed to get back leading to easy buckets. In the half court, Westminster converted in the post as the Eagles struggled to fight through picks and cover the backdoor cutter.

The Eagles started fast as Christian Snipes scored nine of the team’s first ten points as ACA built a 10-5 lead. Neither team scored over the final three minutes of the period, but the Eagles still held a 14-7 advantage. The scoring drought continued for the home team in the second quarter as Westminster went on a 9-0 run to take the lead three minutes into the period. ACA managed just six points in the quarter and went from a seven point lead after the first to a seven point deficit at the half, 20-27.

ACA came out with some fire and hustle in the third and seemed to dominate the quarter. Jayden Jones scored eleven in the period to lead the offense. The Eagles took the lead for seventeen seconds late in the third, but two three-point plays by Westminster gave the visitors a 51-45 lead after three. For all of the hard work and imagined momentum it seemed ACA had, they were only able to shave a single point off the lead in the third. In the fourth, ACA cut the lead to two with just over two minutes to play, but the Knights scored the next six points to put the game out of reach. Alabama Christian would eventually lose by a score of 59-63.

Mac Moorer led the team with 15 points and six rebounds. Jayden Jones finished with 14 points and three rebounds while Christian Snipes had 12 points on the afternoon.

Alabama Christian travels to MA next Tuesday to continue Area play.

Alabama Christian Sweeps Thorsby in Area Play

Both the boys and girls teams started 2025 the right way with Area wins over Thorsby. The girls dominated from the opening tip while the boys avenged an earlier loss to the Rebels.

In the boys game, ACA (9-6) scored the last thirteen points of the first period to lead 17-4 at the end of one. Thorsby was scoreless over the final four and a half minutes of the quarter. Christian Snipes and Levi Summers scored eleven of the thirteen points in the run. The Rebels managed just six shot attempts over the last half of the quarter. The teams played evenly in the second and the Eagles were able to maintain a thirteen point advantage at the half. Connor Mark returned to action in the second quarter much to the delight of the ACA faithful.

In the third period Thorsby never went away, but never got closer than nine points either. ACA led 42-32 after three. Alabama Christian pulled away in the fourth and led by as many as nineteen with less than two minutes to play. Mac Moorer got hot as he scored ten points in the final quarter to help secure the 57-42 win.

Mac Moorer led all scorers with 18 points followed closely by Christian Snipes who had 17 points and three rebounds. Jayden Jones had eight assists to lead the team while Levi Summers finished with a team high eight rebounds.

Sometimes it’s not easy to get up for a game when you know you are clearly the better team. ACA (14-2) had their game face on and dominated from the opening tip. The Eagles scored the first fifteen point of the game as they connected on six of their first ten shots. Four different players scored in the stretch as four of the six field goals were assisted and the other two were offensive rebound put backs. ACA led 20-3 after one and continued impress in the second. The Rebels made their first field goal from the floor with seventeen seconds left in the half. The Eagles led 31-7 at the break.

The third period was played evenly between the two teams as ACA only increased its lead by two points to led 42-16 after three. The lead hit thirty points early in the fourth and the clock moved quickly afterwards. Evelyn Tankersley had ten points in the fourth and helped the Eagles to a 58-23 victory.

Four Eagles reached double figures and a fifth scored eight points as the team shared the ball throughout the game. Jaide Newkirk was the top scorer with 14 points along with seven rebounds. Evelyn Tankersley finished with 12 points as she hit all six of her shots from the floor with four rebounds. Izzy Warrick scored 11 points with three steals and Katelyn Sutton had 10 points and nine assists.

Alabama Christian plays again on Saturday, January 4th as they host Westminster-Oak Mountain.

ACA Wins Two of Three at Christmas Tournament in Tampa

The Lady Eagles finished 2024 in style with two wins at the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational and squeezed in some fun time on their off day. With the two victories, Alabama Christian sports a 13-2 record for the season. One of the highlights of the tournament was Katelyn Sutton breaking the career 3-pointers record. She surpassed Leah Sirmon’s mark of 144 in the third game of the weekend. Sirmon’s record had stood since 2005.

12/20 - Steinbrenner (FL)

ACA opened the tournament with a local school, Steinbrenner High School. The school is named after Tampa native and late owner of the New York Yankees, George Steinbrenner. The Eagles had a strong start, led by Katelyn Sutton and Jaide Newkirk, and led 15-12 after a quarter. However, Steinbrenner regrouped in a big way and outscored ACA 40-7 over the next two quarters to take command of the game. The Warriors would go on to win 64-40.

Jaide Newkirk led the team with 20 points, scoring 11 in the fourth period. Katelyn Sutton had eight points while five other players scored a single basket.

12/21 - Edgar Mevers (NY)

Alabama Christian’s next opponent is located in the Bronx and is the first team ACA has ever played from New York. The Eagles again started strong and maintained a healthy lead through the contest although the gap was closed by Mevers. ACA led 41-30 at the half and went on to a 73-66 victory. This was the team’s best offensive performance of the tournament.

A’Kirra McElveen was the team’s top scorer with 23 points, including 12 of the team’s 15 fourth quarter points. Three other player finished in double figures as Katelyn Sutton and Jaide Newkirk both scored 16 and Izzy Warrick had 11 points.

12/23 - Armwood (FL)

After a day off of relaxation, the Eagles had their best overall performance of the tournament with a 51-44 win over Armwood. It took the team a little while to get started as they trailed by eight at the end of the first. The team did not panic and closed the gap by halftime and led by seven at the end of the third, which was the final margin of victory. With the team’s normal top scorers stifled in the first half, Izzy Warrick and Campbell Hammett each scored seven to keep the game close.

Jaide Newkirk would lead the team in scoring with 18 points, 14 in the second half followed by Izzy Warrick with 11 and Katelyn Sutton with 10.

Alabama Christian Picks Up Win over BTW-Magnet

Both varsity basketball teams were victorious Tuesday night with road wins over BTW-Magnet. The girls cruised to a 57-13 win in a game that was never competitive. The boys looked great early and hung on for dear life in a thrilling 64-57 win.

The boys started the game with ten minutes of dominating play as they blitzed the Yellow Jackets 31-10. However, there are thirty-two minutes in a game and a team can’t rely on the first ten to secure a victory. Mac Moorer and Sam Davidson combined for six three balls in the first period to help build a commanding 25-8 lead after one. Moorer kept it going early in the second connecting two more times as he made his first six three-points attempts which resulted in a twenty-one point lead. BTW answered with eight straight points to trail by thirteen with two minutes left in the half. AC Walters and Davidson scored late in the quarter to give ACA (8-3) a 36-22 lead at the intermission.

The home standing Jackets kept the momentum on their side as they scored the first nine points of the second half to cut the Eagle lead to 36-31. Mac Moorer hit his seventh three of the game to stop the bleeding and help settle the team down. Jayden Jones and Broderick Williams worked well together towards the end of the third as the duo combined for six points for a 48-41 advantage after three. ACA looked ready to finally put BTW away in the fourth as they outscored the home team 7-3 to build a 55-44 lead. The Yellow Jackets turned up the pressure and took advantage of the contact being allowed by the officials to go on a 12-3 run of their own to cut the deficit to just two points with 1:50 left. Jones scored to give the Eagles a four point lead and would later, along with Moorer hit four free throws to clinch the game.

Mac Moorer led the offense with 24 points, hitting seven 3-pointers. Sam Davidson finished with 12 points and four rebounds. Jayden Jones had nine points, eight assists, and five rebounds while Christian Snipes had eight points and five boards.

As exciting as the finish of the boys game turned out to be, the outcome pf the girls contest was never in doubt. Although the Eagles (11-1) started slowly they were too much for the hapless Yellow Jacket team. Katelyn Sutton and Izzy Warrick both hit first period threes to build a 10-3 lead after one. ACA built a 26-7 lead at the half as the offense was a little better in the second. Jaide Newkirk led the team with nine first half points.

The third quarter was the team’s best as they buried BTW in a 24-1 barrage that helped the Eagles build a 50-8 lead after three. The Jackets hit a free throw less than a minute into the quarter and did not score again. Three players, A’Kirra McElveen, Katelyn Sutton, and Jaide Newkirk, each had six points in the third to lead a balanced attack. The fourth quarter went quickly as the clock ran continuously. The highlight of the quarter was Campbell Hammett trying to sneak into the game only be turned back by her coach. The Lady Eagles enjoyed a stress free 57-13 romp.

Jaide Newkirk had a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Katelyn Sutton finished with eleven points, six steals, five rebounds, and five assists. Izzy Warrick and A’Kirra McElveen both had eight points while McElveen had a team best 16 rebounds.

ACA Continues Winning Streak

The Alabama Christian girls team won their tenth in a row on Saturday which is the program’s longest winning streak since 2009. The Warriors gave ACA (10-1) a tougher first half than expected, but the Eagles flexed their muscles in the second half to pull away in the road win.

ACA led by two at the end of the first and just three at the half, 24-21. Katelyn Sutton’s 14 first half points led the team at the break. In the second half, the visitors started on a 13-2 spurt to stretch the lead to 37-23. Jaide Newkirk’s eight points sparked the offense during the run. The Eagles led by the same margin at the end of the quarter and went on to win 51-30 over the Warriors.

Katelyn Sutton was the team’s top scorer with 17 points along with six assists, four rebounds, and four steals. Jaide Newkirk had ten points, six rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. A’Kirra McElveen finished with nine points and ten rebounds while Evelyn Tankersley contributed eight points.

The boys faced Lee-Scott in a Thanksgiving tournament a few weeks ago and the Eagles (7-4) knew the Saturday tilt would be difficult. Through the first six minutes of the game ACA was the aggressor and had Lee-Scott on its heels, but the home team scored fourteen straight for a 19-9 lead early in the second period. Once the Warriors found their stride they steadily pulled away from Alabama Christian. The score was 40-25 at the half and the Eagles eventually lost by forty, 44-84.

Sam Davidson led the team with 13 points and three steals. Mac Moorer finished with 12 points while AC Walters had eight points and seven rebounds.

Alabama Christian will visit BTW-Magnet next Tuesday in their last action before the Christmas break.

Eagles Defeat Loachapoaka for Season Sweep

The season opener continues to be the only blemish on the Lady Eagles record as they improved to 9-1 on the season with a 63-20 defeat of Loachapoaka. ACA erased any doubts early as they outscored the Indians 20-3 in the first period. The Eagles increased the lead to 35-11 by the half. Katelyn Sutton led the charge with 12 first half points. The defense continued to shine in the second half as Alabama Christian held its opponent scoreless in the fourth quarter.

Katelyn Sutton led all scorers with 18 points, hitting five 3-pointers, while Jaide Newkirk finiashed with 17 points. A trio of players, Addison Smith, A’Kirra McElveen, and Evelyn Tankersley, each contributed six points.

The boys opened the season with an overtime thriller against Loachapoaka, but could not bring home the victory Friday against the Indians. The home team did just enough to beat ACA (7-3) 51-48. The game was close throughout as ACA trailed by five at the half and cut the lead to three by the end of the third. Unfortunately, the Eagles could not give over the hump and overtake the Indians.

Mac Moorer’s 12 points led the offense followed closely by AC Walters with 11 and Jayden Jones with 10.

Alabama Christian continues its busy week on Saturday as they travel to Lee-Scott Academy.

Jaide Newkirk Reaches 1,000 Point Milestone

Jaide Newkirk entered Thursday night’s game needing only five points to reach 1,000 for her career. She got off to a slow start, but reached the mark midway through the second quarter with a field goal from the left block. Family, friends, and classmates were on hand to cheer on Newkirk. Special guest Syretta Baldwin was on hand to represent the former players already in the exclusive club. Newkirk became just the fifth Lady Eagle in program history to score at least 1,000 points for their career.

Newkirk was not the only one who started slow. The team was tied to an inferior competitor midway through the first period before they started to put some distance between themselves and their opponent. ACA (8-1) led Autauga Academy 16-6 at the end of the first. The Eagles outscored their guests by ten points in the second quarter as well and held a 31-11 lead at the break. The second half was played more evenly, but the Generals never proved to be a seriuous threat to Alabama Christian. ACA would win the contest 58-36.

Katelyn Sutton led the Eagles with 16 points followed closely by the star of the night, Jaide Newkirk with 15 points. Campbell Hammett finished with nine points while A’Kirra McElveen had seven.

The boys also started slowly as they expected to handle the Generals easily. The game was tied 6-6 more than midway through the first before ACA (7-2) finished with a 10-3 run. The last two possessions of the period saw Mac Moorer nail back to back bombs to give the Eagles a 16-9 lead after one. Christian Snipes and Moorer combined for eight quick points in the second quarter which prompted an Autauga Academy timeout. The timeout seemed to work as the Generals scored on four straight possessions to cut the lead to 27-16. That would be the last of the good news for Autauga Academy for the night. The Eagles ended the half on a 9-2 run including a three by Sam Davidson at the horn to take a 36-18 lead into the locker room.

Alabama Christian put their foot on the pedal at the start of the second half and ran away from the Generals. ACA outscored its opponent 18-1 over the first five minutes of the third quarter. Jayden Jones led the charge with eleven points during the run that included two “thank you very much” threes as the defense just kept backing away and left the senior wide open for easy looks. By the time the quarter was over, ACA led 62-23. The fourth period brought a running clock and lots of substitutions as everyone was able to play. The student section even chanted for injured Connor Mark to get in the game. Only five total points were scored in the quarter as Alabama Christian defeated Autauga Academy 66-24.

Mac Moorer led all scorers with 18 points, 16 in the first half as he hit five first half threes. Jayden Jones finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, and five assists while Christian Snipes had 11 points and three rebounds.

Alabama Christian Wins Seventh in a Row

The Eagles (7-1) visited Tallassee on Monday night and came away with a hard fought 49-42 victory. It’s always a wild environment when ACA visits the Tigers, but Alabama Christian tried to take the crowd out of it early. The visitors built a thirteen point lead at the break, 29-16, and withstood the Tallassee comeback in the second half.

Katelyn Sutton hit four 3-pointers to lead the offense with 15 points. Jaide Newkirk finished with 11 points while Campbell Hammett had eight and A’Kirra McElveen had six.

The boys were able to follow the girl’s lead and beat Tallassee in the nightcap. However, they took a different route than the Lady Eagles did. ACA (6-2) was outscored by eight in the first quarter, but was able to cut the lead to two by the half. The Eagles outscored the home team 23-14 in the third, led by Jayden Jones with seven points, to take a 49-42 lead after three. Alabama Christian continued to roll in the fourth for the 65-51 victory.

Christian Snipes led the team with 19 points. Mac Moorer finished with 14 points followed by AC Walters with 13 points.

Both teams return home on Thursday, December 12, to host Autauga Academy.

ACA Breezes Past Autauga Academy

Alabama Christian traveled to Autauga Academy for the first time ever Friday evening to play four games against the Generals. Both JV teams as well as both Varsity teams won easily in a low stress night at the gym.

After dropping the decision to Thorsby on Thursday plus losing Connor Mark due to injury, the boys looked to rebound against Autauga Academy. The home team hit its first two shots and led 5-2 a minute into the game, but that would be the last good news for the rest of the night. After a made free throw, Mac Moorer, Sam Davidson, and AC Walters hit threes on consecutive possessions to pull the Eagles (5-2) ahead 12-5. ACA led 17-7 after a quarter. Alabama Christian opened the second with a 9-0 run to extend the lead to 26-7 midway through the period. The Generals outscored ACA over the final four minutes of the half to close the gap to 36-19. After the first half buzzer a double technical was called as the officials tried to get a handle on the talking between players.

The Eagles continued to increase the lead through the third period. By the end of the quarter the lead had increased to twenty-eight points. AC Walters dominated the glass in the second half as he performed like a man among boys. The fourth moved quickly as the lead passed the thirty-point barrier. Many of the backups played in the final quarter and gained valuable experience.

With Connor Mark missing the game on Friday the question was who would pick up the scoring in his absence. On Friday ,it was AC Walters as the senior recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Mac Moorer had 14 points with five rebounds while Christian Snipes finished with nine points and nine rebounds. Jayden Jones led the team six assists while Sam Davidson had a team high three steals.

In the opening varsity contest, the girls team let an inferior team hang around too long, but won 45-26 when it was all said and done. The game was tied 6-6 with two minutes left in the first quarter. A Katelyn Sutton three broke the tie and helped ACA (6-1) to a 9-8 lead after one. The Lady Eagles outscored Autauga Academy 14-2 in the second quarter to open a 23-10 lead at the half. Sutton, Adalynn Newkirk, and Evelyn Tankersley did all of the scoring in the period as the lead moved to double digits. Although the lead remained in double figures for the rest of the game, ACA could never deliver the knockout punch and blow the game open. The final score was 45-26.

Katelyn Sutton led all scorers with 17 points and added five steals and three assists. Evelyn Tankersley had eight points, seven rebounds, and two blocks while Izzy Warrick had six points, seven rebounds, and three steals.

Alabama Christian visits Tallassee in its next action Monday, December 9th.

Lady Eagles Improve to 5-1 with Area Win on the Road

Alabama Christian learned a valuable lesson as it traveled to very rural Alabama Thursday night. If you are going to play in Podunk, you better bring your own trainer. The Eagles had two girls leave the game with injuries and one boy in the second game with no one to attend to them. We are still waiting for someone from Thorsby to get a trainer or be concerned.

Fortunately, the girls were able to overcome their injuries and win the contest. ACA (5-1) outscored the hosts 15-0 in the first period and it looked as if the game would be a laugher. It took the Rebels almost 90 seconds to even get a shot off against the pressure defense. When ACA stretched the lead to 26-5 with about two minutes left in the half everyone started packing their things up because this game was over. Thorsby didn’t get the memo though and went on a 10-2 run to close the half. In a game they had no business being in, the Rebels only trailed by thirteen at the break.

Katelyn Sutton scored seven of the team’s first nine points in the second half to increase the lead to twenty-one points, 37-16. Then the offense went cold over the final five minutes of the third as they made only one free throw in the stretch. Once again, Thorsby finished a quarter strong and cut the margin to 38-26 after three. The margin stayed around ten for the fourth period as ACA survived with a 48-35 victory.

Katelyn Sutton was the game’s leading scorer with 16 points and six steals. Jaide Newkirk scored nine points with three steals while Sam Burgess finished with six points and six rebounds. A’Kirra McElveen led the team with ten rebounds and five assists.

The boys game did not go the way of the Eagles. Although ACA (4-2) seemed the more talented team, they never seemed to adjust to the officials and did not drive to the basket to pick up fouls. Thorsby did take advantage and and scored 17 points from the free throw line as compared to eight for ACA. The Eagles had a tough night from outside the arc as they were 4 for 26 until they hit their last two in the final 30 seconds of an already decided game.

Thorsby took a one point lead at the end of the first quarter, but Christian Snipes scored to start the second to give the lead back to ACA. The Eagles would keep the lead until 4:26 left in the third when the Rebels hit two freebies for a 29-27 lead. The home team would never trail again from that point. Thorsby managed to pull away late in the opening Area game for both teams.

Christian Snipes led the team with 13 points followed closely by Mac Moorer with 12 and Jayden jones with 11. Jones and Broderick Williams led the team with five rebounds apiece as Jones also led the team with four steals.

Both Alabama Christian squads are back at it Friday night at Autauga Academy.