Alabama Christian improved their season record to 12-4 as they picked up road wins on Friday and Saturday. The two victories extended the Eagles winning streak to eight games which is the longest since ACA won the first nine games of the 1993-94 season. Ellwood Christian went quietly on Friday, losing by over forty points, 67-26. ACA led 17-5 after the first period and the rout was on. Conner Mark and Mac Moorer both scored 20 points to lead the offense. Alabama Christian has won all four contests against Ellwood in the series by an average of forty-eight points per game.
Saturday night saw the level of competition go up as the Eagles visited PCA. The defense stifled the Panthers in the second half as they shutout the home team over the final twelve minutes in the 44-29 triumph. The game was physical both ways early which started a game long discussion between the PCA coach and the officials about when an offensive foul should be called. The Panthers picked up three fouls in the first fifty-nine seconds of the game. After each team’s initial score, the offenses went on ice. Neither team scored over the middle four minutes of the quarter as the team’s combined for nine missed shots, four turnovers, and five fouls. The period ended in a 6-6 tie.
Conner Mark opened the second quarter with consecutive scores to give ACA a 10-6 advantage. After a Panther three, Mac Moorer scored followed by a Mark bomb to give the Eagles their biggest lead of the half, 15-9. PCA answered and took the lead late in the half until Moorer connected on a heavily contested three to give ACA a 23-21 lead at the half. The three was Moorer’s 100th of his career and came at a crucial time in the game. The junior is the tenth player in program history to make at least 100 threes. Mark and Moorer each scored seven points to lead the offense in the half.
Both teams traded scores to start the second half as the Panthers retook the lead 29-28 midway through the third. It would be the last points the home team would enjoy as they missed their last fourteen shots. Conner Mark responded with a three on the next possession and ACA never trailed again. The last score of the period showed the grit and determination of the Eagle’s squad and in particular, Darius Gardner. The senior refused to let PCA have the ball and corralled five offensive rebounds in one possession which finally ended with a Mac Moorer three-ball. The team and the fans were fired up after the Herculean effort. PCA immediately called a timeout to curb the momentum, but it was too late. Alabama Christian showed they wanted it worse than the home team. Like the second quarter, Mark opened the fourth with consecutive scores to build the lead to 39-29. At this point, ACA slowed the pace and took their time as they scored five more points over the final five minutes.
Conner Mark was the game’s leading scorer with 18 points and four rebounds. Mac Moorer added 13 points with three assists. Tyree Saadiq finished with six points and eight rebounds. Darius Gardner ruled the glass with ten rebounds, seven offensive.
The Lady Eagles (9-6) also played two over the weekend as they split their games. Like the boys, ACA had an easy time at Ellwood Friday night as they won handily, 54-25. The offensive trio of Jaide Newkirk (25), Katelyn Sutton (21), and Izzy Warrick (17) scored all of the points in the game.
Saturday was a different story as the Eagles played the three-time defending State champion. The game was added late with a hope of getting the team ready for Area play with better competition. Despite PCA’s success there were less than fifty fans in the stands for the home-standing Panthers. As the home team’s starting lineups were announced the lights went out for dramatic effect, but no spotlight ever shone on the players. In the end, the fans couldn’t see who the starters were until they turned the lights back on. The same thing happened in the boy’s game so maybe they don’t like spotlights.
Alabama Christian hung close through the first few minutes of the game, but the talented Panthers proved too much as they pulled away and led 17-5 after a quarter. PCA continued to stretch the margin each quarter and eventually won by a score of 76-18. The lone bright spot for the Eagles was Katelyn Sutton who played fearlessly and finished with team highs in points (11) and rebounds (9).
Alabama Christian opens Area play on Tuesday, January 9th, at St James.