For only the second time in school history, the Lady Minutemen of Glennville Christian Academy are Georgia Christian Athletic Association Class A State Basketball Champions!
After a grueling 7-1 regular season regional record, the Lady Minutemen defeated regional foe Appling Christian Academy in a tie-breaker to determine the number one seed going into the playoffs. GCA outdueled the Lady Swords from Youth Christian Academy in Powder Springs by a score of 50-43 in the first-round playoff game held in the GCA gym on Friday, February 1.
In the semi-finals of the state tournament, held at Byne Christian Academy in Albany, GCA faced off against the Lady Saints from Philadelphia Christian Academy of Conyers. Senior Jennifer Johnson came off the bench to lead all scorers with 14 points. Sophomore Kourtnie Cox added 13, Sophomore Brittany Swope 12, and eigth grader Kadeshia Frazier 11. Brittany Swope pulled down a total of 27 rebounds in the 53-37 victory. Senior Amanda Cammack and Sophomore Ashley Blocker round out the starting five. Freshman Leah Winkles and seventh graders Victoria Cox and Raegan Jarrett provided valuable minutes off the bench.
The championship game provided a showcase for Coach Kenneth Cox's basketball acumen. The Mountain Area Christian Academy team from Morganton had rolled over their regular season and playoff opponents with a fast-breaking offensive attack and smothering man-to-man defense. Coach Cox bewildered the opposing coach and players with a "four-corner stall" throughout the first half. While opposing fans booed, the GCA ladies ran off a 17 point half-time lead utilizing back-door cuts and one-on-one drives to the basket. Mountain Area made adjustments at half time and came out for the second half firing on all cylinders. Missed free throws and cold shooting nearly spelled disaster for the Lady Minutemen. The game went to the wire with Mountain Area having a chance to tie the game with a three-point shot as time ticked away. The final buzzer sounded with the scoreboard reading 38-35 in favor of GCA. Kadeshia Frazier and Jennifer Johnson lead the Lady Minutemen with 10 points each. Brittany Swope had 7 points, Kourtnie Cox had 6, Raegan Jarrett had 3, and Ashley Blocker had 2 points.
Senior Jennifer Johnson was named Tournament MVP. Along the way, Jennifer set a new school scoring record with 636 points over the course of her varsity career. Joining the team several games into the season, Johnson's tenacity and will to win helped propel the Lady Minutemen to an 18-4 overall record as Region IV and State Champs. Eighth grade point guard Kadeshia Frazier was named to the All-Tournament Team. Kadeshia averaged 11.7 points per game over the season as she shut down opponent's best scorers with her suffocating man-to-man defensive play. Sophomore Brittany Swope led the team with 26 blocks and 231 rebounds during the year.
After a grueling 7-1 regular season regional record, the Lady Minutemen defeated regional foe Appling Christian Academy in a tie-breaker to determine the number one seed going into the playoffs. GCA outdueled the Lady Swords from Youth Christian Academy in Powder Springs by a score of 50-43 in the first-round playoff game held in the GCA gym on Friday, February 1.
In the semi-finals of the state tournament, held at Byne Christian Academy in Albany, GCA faced off against the Lady Saints from Philadelphia Christian Academy of Conyers. Senior Jennifer Johnson came off the bench to lead all scorers with 14 points. Sophomore Kourtnie Cox added 13, Sophomore Brittany Swope 12, and eigth grader Kadeshia Frazier 11. Brittany Swope pulled down a total of 27 rebounds in the 53-37 victory. Senior Amanda Cammack and Sophomore Ashley Blocker round out the starting five. Freshman Leah Winkles and seventh graders Victoria Cox and Raegan Jarrett provided valuable minutes off the bench.
The championship game provided a showcase for Coach Kenneth Cox's basketball acumen. The Mountain Area Christian Academy team from Morganton had rolled over their regular season and playoff opponents with a fast-breaking offensive attack and smothering man-to-man defense. Coach Cox bewildered the opposing coach and players with a "four-corner stall" throughout the first half. While opposing fans booed, the GCA ladies ran off a 17 point half-time lead utilizing back-door cuts and one-on-one drives to the basket. Mountain Area made adjustments at half time and came out for the second half firing on all cylinders. Missed free throws and cold shooting nearly spelled disaster for the Lady Minutemen. The game went to the wire with Mountain Area having a chance to tie the game with a three-point shot as time ticked away. The final buzzer sounded with the scoreboard reading 38-35 in favor of GCA. Kadeshia Frazier and Jennifer Johnson lead the Lady Minutemen with 10 points each. Brittany Swope had 7 points, Kourtnie Cox had 6, Raegan Jarrett had 3, and Ashley Blocker had 2 points.
Senior Jennifer Johnson was named Tournament MVP. Along the way, Jennifer set a new school scoring record with 636 points over the course of her varsity career. Joining the team several games into the season, Johnson's tenacity and will to win helped propel the Lady Minutemen to an 18-4 overall record as Region IV and State Champs. Eighth grade point guard Kadeshia Frazier was named to the All-Tournament Team. Kadeshia averaged 11.7 points per game over the season as she shut down opponent's best scorers with her suffocating man-to-man defensive play. Sophomore Brittany Swope led the team with 26 blocks and 231 rebounds during the year.