The First Presbyterian Christian Academy Highlanders are looking for wins 40 and 41 this weekend at the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament. The boys 39th win came Tuesday night with a lopsided 117-34 victory against Providence Christian.
"Seldom do you run up on a team as undermanned as they were," Highlander coach David Jones said. "I believe they were playing without two of their top guys and they had an eighth-grader who sank four three-shots and even our fans were cheering for him. I think our kids displayed a good attitude with each other and toward the opposing team."
He said the game allowed FPCA to work on offense.
"As opposed to ripping and running," he said. "And we did that pretty well. It was good from a team stand point because everybody got a chance to play and contribute."
Jones said Providence Christian split their campuses and are rebuilding their sports programs, which he thinks may have affected the strength of some of their teams, including boys basketball.
FPCA will face tough opponents during this weekend’s tournament, especially Robert Toombs Academy, which is 6-0 for the season. The Crusaders likely will be the Highlanders’ first true test of the season.
"As a coach, you are looking and expect to win, but you know in reality you might lose, particularly in some games," Jones said.
The boys tip-off against RTCA tonight at 6:30.
The Lady ’Landers also took a 60-21 win against the Lady Lions. Brianne Reece hit 14 points, Aliyah Wilson sank 11, Shaquoia Crockett and Keandra Battle got 10 apiece, Tera Alston scored 6, Brittany Brown got 7 and Brooke Standard hit 2.Lady Highlander coach Rosby Frasier said the game against Providence helped her squad, allowing the entire bench time on the court.
"We also had the opportunity to run set plays," she said.
The girls are off until Jan. 5 when they face Heritage Christian. Frasier she has not seen them play this year, but remembers they had a good squad last season.
"Last year, they had good ball handlers," she said. "We’ll concentrate on defense and continue to try and convert all our steals to layups. We are also working on our positioning in the middle and our rebounding."
She added the press has been effective for her defense, which she wants to strengthen to a 3-2.
The JV Lady ’Landers, coached by Mike Brown, are undefeated at 3-0 with victories against Midway Middle School, Snelson Golden and Lewis Frasier Middle School.