Lions cruise through tournament to win ICSGA


 

Published March 7, 2007

AUGUSTA — High-water marks continue to fall at Loganville Christian Academy and the Lions’ basketball team reached their goal Saturday.

Just one week after nailing down the first region title in school history, LCA captured its first state title with a 68-38 win over Evangel Christian of Montgomery, Ala. The victory gave Loganville the championship of the Independent Christian Schools of Georgia and Alabama. Senior Josh Cole and sophomore Daniel Miller paced the Lions’ offense in the title contest with 26 and 24 points, respectively.

Evangel came into the game averaging more than 80 points per night in the quarter-final and semi-final rounds. Yet, the LHS defense was unsurmountable. Evangel failed to score at all in the third quarter.

“Our guys just played unbelievably all weekend,” said LCA head coach/athletic director/principal Mark Davis. “I could not have asked them to do any more than they did.”

Davis said Evangel had a quicker team, so he and his assistants decided to employ a 2-3 and 1-3-1 zone defense after scouting their opponents in Friday’s semis.

“We’ve been a strictly man-to-man team all year, so I have to really commend our boys for picking up the zone so quickly,” Davis said. “We showed them what to do on Saturday afternoon and they went out there Saturday night and ran it to perfection.”

Leading up the championship game, the Lions posted a pair of lopsided wins in the two previous games. On Thursday LCA disposed of Harvester Christian of Douglasville, the same team that had beaten them in the eight-man football finals last fall, 55-27. Cole led the way with 22 points. Miller had six blocks.

In Friday’s semi-final affair, Loganville knocked off Toccoa’s Central Heights, 68-43.

Lions are in Augusta for state tournament


 

Published March 2, 2007

LOGANVILLE — After capturing the first boys’ basketball region title in school history last weekend, the undefeated (22-0) Loganville Christian Academy squad is competing for a state title this weekend at Augusta State University.

The Lions met Harvester in the quarter-finals last night at the Christenberry Field House. The three-day tournament concludes Saturday with the crowning of the state champion. A win last night would put LCA in a 4:30 p.m. semi-final game today. The championship game is set for 6 p.m. Saturday.

The season of “firsts” continues for the Loganville program. Earlier this year the Lions fielded their first-ever football team and went all the way to the state ICSGA championship game. Last Saturday night LCA clinched the region title with a 72-41 win over Alleluia Christian.

“I am proud of the integrity that this team has shown all season,” said LCA coach Mark Davis. “They have a tremendous work ethic and an amazing knack for unselfish play.”

The Lions, who hosted the region tournament, qualified for the finals with an 89-66 victory over Green Pastures.

“Our seniors have shown a great ability to lead and the younger guys have responded in a great way,” Davis said.

LCA claims first region basketball title


 

Published February 28, 2007

LOGANVILLE — The season of “firsts” continues for Loganville Christian Academy. Earlier this year the Lions fielded their first-ever football team and went all the way to the state ICSGA championship game. Saturday night the Lions clinched the first region basketball championship in school history with a 72-41 win over Alleluia Christian.

Daniel Miller led LCA in the title game with 16 points, Andre Jones had 13 and Josh Cole added 10 points as the Lions improved to 22-0 this season.

Loganville now goes on to play Harvester Christian tomorrow in the first round of the state tournament at Augusta State University.

“I am proud of the integrity that this team has shown all season,” said LCA coach Mark Smith. “They have a tremendous work ethic and an amazing knack for unselfish play. The passing ability of this team has been the best I have ever coached.”

The Lions, who hosted the region tournament, qualified for the finals with an 89-66 victory over Green Pastures. Miller paced the attack with 30 points, Cole had 18 and Andrew Perry chipped in with 11. LCA blew the game open with a 22-point third quarter. Cole also added 12 rebounds and nine assists, while Miller pulled down nine rebounds.

“Our seniors have shown a great ability to lead and the younger guys have responded in a great way,” Davis said. “As far as how far we can go in the state tournament, it is anyone’s guess. I believe these guys want it bad and we have as good a shot as anyone.”
 

LCA Lions win cat fight


 

Published January 26, 2007

LOGANVILLE — Rivalries are good for high school sports — especially cross-town rivalries.

“With this being our big rivalry during the season, it did not take much to get our guys fired up,” said Covenant Christian Academy head boys’ basketball coach Adam Parrott. “Loganville came into the game undefeated and that is enough motivation for any player.”

Whether the Cougars were highly motivated or not, it didn’t seem to matter as Loganville Christian claimed a 74-49 victory and remained unbeaten.

Josh Cole led the scoring for the Lions with 21 points and Daniel Miller added 18. Sophomore Andre Jones chipped in with 12 points for coach Mark Davis’ club.

“We started a little bit slow, but I honestly contribute that to Covenant,” said Davis. “They shot the 3-pointer well in the first half and they broke our press well in the first part of the first half.

“I had to come out of the press and go man-to-man on them and that made a huge difference. Our guys responded well to the change in defenses.”

Jason Gresham paced CCA with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Jesse Siebel had 17 points and seven rebounds.

Loganville held a 37-27 lead at halftime in a game that appeared would be competitive throughout. The Lions began to pull away in the third quarter by holding the Covenant team to only eight points during the eight-minute period.

“We got into foul trouble and they were making their shots and we weren’t,” Parrott said. “LCA is a talented team, but I feel we played a pretty solid game against them.”

Both teams will be busy this weekend.

Covenant travels to Killian Hills tonight and hosts Alleluia tomorrow afternoon. Loganville Christian has Alleluia at home this evening before taking on Griffin Saturday at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

LCA beats Covenant behind Keeble’s 18 points


 

Published January 26, 2007

LOGANVILLE — Kristina Keeble scored 18 points and pulled down nine rebounds to help lead Loganville Christian Academy past Covenant Christian 42-28 last Friday. Katie Moyers added six points and six assists and Ashlyn Henderson finished with nine points and four steals for LCA.

Point guard Michelle Rockey paced the Lady Cougars with 10 points. Kaitlin Norman scored nine and Lindsey Edwards finished with eight points.

Loganville Christian held a 10-5 lead after the opening period and never trailed in the varsity basketball contest played at CCA.

“Covenant always works hard and made us play for 32 minutes,” said LCA coach Matt Smith. “Our guards shot the ball poorly, but luckily our defense was solid and we rebounded well. Covenant had a lot of shots go in and out of the basket, which was good for us.

“Anytime we can win on the road, we are happy. Our fans were great.”

LCA shot a season high 73 percent from the free-throw line, going 16-for-22.

Covenant coach Heidi Leggett said she used the game to experiment a little bit.

“We looked at some new things on our offensive end,” said Leggett. “We made good cuts and had open looks, but the shots did not fall. Michelle is still making the adjustments to running the point. Now we are going to work on increasing her shot selection.”

Leggett praised Spencer Paige for her hard work on both ends of the floor and Tiffany Benedetti for a good defensive effort.

“Tiffany should get more playing time at point guard,” said Leggett, who pointed out her team is still without Christen Devaney, out at least two more weeks with an injury. “Everything is coming together. We got a chance to analyze weaknesses and make some changes in games like this.

“We will keep working on rebounding and shot selection, along with our man-to-man defense.”

Lady Lions beat Victory, fall to Alleluia


 

Published January 12, 2007

AUGUSTA — The Loganville Christian Academy girls’ split a pair of recent region contests.

The Lady Lions traveled to Augusta last Saturday to play the defending region champion Alleluia Angels. The game started off well for LCA as they were down 14-12 at the end of the first quarter. But the offense was stagnant the second quarter as the Lions were outscored 15-6 and went into the half down by 11.

The Lady Lions fought hard in the second half, but couldn't cut the deficit into single digits. Alleluia dominated the boards all night, as they out rebounded the Lions by more than 30 rebounds.

"Alleluia is a very physical team, and we must play physical as well if we want to compete with them,” said LCA head coach Matt Smith."

LCA was led by Kristina Keeble 18 points, and Ashlyn Henderson had a season high of 14. Eden York chipped in 10.

After coming off their worst defeat of the year Loganville Christian headed to Conyers to face the Eagles of Victory Christian School on Tuesday.

The Lady lions started off the game a little sloppy as they committed six turnovers in the first quarter, yet held a 24-12 lead at halftime.

The Lady Lions picked up the intensity both offensively and defensively the second half. "I really got on them pretty hard at the halftime because we were not playing type of basketball that we are capable of. We need to start putting four solid quarters of basketball together in order to compete against the best teams in this league", Coach Smith. The Lions came out on fire the second half outscoring the Eagles 34-6. All nine member of the LCA team scored, and they were led by Eden York 11, Kristina Keeble 11, and Katie Moyers with 10. Amber Flores also had a season high with 6. The Lady Lions are off till next Thursday, when they will travel to McDonough to face New Creation.

Lions sitting pretty at break


 

Published December 29, 2006

LOGANVILLE — Seven wins in seven games is as good as you can do, so obviously Loganville Christian Academy boys’ basketball coach Mark Davis is pleased with his team’s play.

“I am very happy with them,” Davis said. “Realistically, we have the most talent I’ve ever had in all the years I’ve coached. However, some of the talent is young.”

Davis will start two sophomores and three seniors when the Lions get back into action Jan. 5 at Snellville Christian Academy. The 10th-graders are 6 foot, 7 inch Daniel Miller, who transferred in from Loganville High, and Andre Jones. Jones returned to LCA after attending Monroe Area for a year. He was a Loganville Christian student through the eighth grade.

The seniors include Josh Cole, an offensive machine who is drawing the attention of several small colleges. Cole stands 6-2 and plays the small forward position at LCA, but Davis expects Cole to play the shooting guard spot at the next level. Andrew Perry and Chase Bullock round out the starting lineup.

“Our seniors are our leaders, but I believe our sophomore class is the most athletic class in the school,” said Davis. “I think we’ll be fine next year and the year after.”

Offensively, the Lions are a force to be reckoned with. LCA scored 100 points in a game earlier this season. Yet Davis said the defense is the major factor in the success the program is enjoying.

“Their intensity is a part of the game I couldn’t be happier with,” said the coach. “They really play defense extremely well.”

According to Davis, Bullock has filled the shoes of the graduated Matt Casey at point guard.

“Chase played only a little bit last year as a senior because Matt played so well,” Davis said. “He was too old to play junior varsity, so he didn’t get a lot of playing time. When we started the season we didn’t know quite what to expect from Chase, but he has played extremely well for seven games.”

Davis admitted he doesn’t have any one single player who can handle the ball as well as Casey did last year, but he does have three very good ballhandlers.

“And that means Bullock doesn’t have to carry the load out there,” he said. “We don’t have that great ballhandler. We do have about half a dozen good ballhandlers.”

Coincidentally, the two teams expected to give the Lions the most trouble in their run toward a region title will provide the opposition when play resumes after the holiday break. LCA begins a string of five straight road games, starting with a much-improved Snellville squad on Jan. 5 and a matchup at powerful Alleluia Christian the next night.

“We understand Snellville has added some quality players since the season started and we expect them to be tough,” Davis said.

The Lions have not been taking it easy during the off time. Davis and assistant coach Kevin O’Neal have had the team on the practice floor consistently.

Lady Lions taking a break


 

Published December 29, 2006

LOGANVILLE — At the very least they should be well-rested.

By the time the Loganville Christian Academy girls get back on the basketball court, the Lady Lions will have been off for three weeks. LCA will take a five-game winning streak and a 5-1 season record into the Jan. 5 meeting at Snellville Christian Academy.

The team’s fourth straight victory came in a Dec. 11 triumph over New Creation.

After a sloppy first quarter — committing six turnovers — the LCA girls took charge both offensively and defensively. Led by Kristina Keeble's 16 first-half points, LCA took a 32-16 lead into the break.

"We didn't play well the first four minutes of the game, but after that we executed well," said coach Matt Smith.

The Lady Lions dominated the glass all night as the team had a season-high 55 rebounds, led by Katie Moyers’ 14 and 12 by Keeble. Loganville Christian was led by Keeble and Moyer with 26 and 14 points, respectively.

The Lady Lions fifth win was a 38-27 conquest of Cumberland on Dec. 15, the last time Smith’s team took the floor in a game situation.

Keeble and Eden York combined for 21 first half points as the Lady Lions took a 25-15 led into the half.

"Our plan was to get the ball to our post players, and we executed that well in the first half," said LCA coach Matt Smith.

Cumberland made some defensive adjustments at halftime in order to slow down the LCA post players, running a 1-1-3 zone most of the second half. LCA led 33-19 at the end of third quarter and went on to win, 38-27.

"We were very patient the second half, and Katie Moyers really stepped up and hit some important outside shots for us,” Smith said. “This was a good game to end this semester with, Cumberland is a well-coached team and their girls work really hard.”

LCA was led by Eden York with 13 points and Moyers with 12. Keeble had 10 points and nine rebounds.

The path to the postseason tournament doesn’t get any easier after the Snellville matchup. The Lady Lions play four more games on the road before they return home Jan. 22.

Loganville Christian returns to state tourney


 

Published March 3, 2006

LOGANVILLE — One of the goals for first-year head basketball coach Mark Davis was to take his Loganville Christian Academy team to the state tournament. Even though the Lions lost the region title game to Alleluia Christian, LCA is at Columbus State University this weekend as one of eight squads with a chance to win a championship.

Loganville Christian posted a 17-6 record during the regular season, winning the league title with a 10-2 conference mark. Davis credits his players with posting double-digit wins for the second consecutive year.

“We actually looked at this as a rebuilding year after going to the Final Four last year,” said the coach who had to replace seven players from that squad due to transfer or graduation. “But our program is getting a better name in the area thanks to increased publicity. We attracted some transfers who have come in and really make an impact.”

Junior Josh Cole, a transfer from Loganville High, has led the Lions in scoring by averaging more than 20 points per game.

Six players will be lost from the current squad including three starters. Alex Blaine and Chris Davis, the coach’s son, are team captains and starters. Point guard Matt Casey must also be replaced along with reserves Neal Touchton, Josh McCormick and Cory Mauney.

“Cory was our sixth man and really came on well to have a good year for us,” said Davis. “He hadn’t played organized basketball in a couple of years and he came in here as a senior. He was a pleasant surprise.”

Mauney, at 6’ 5”, scored 18 points and grabbed 23 rebounds in the loss to Alleluia.

Davis took over the head coach’s position after serving as an assistant for the past two years. He is also the athletic director, the school’s principal and a minister at Yellow River Baptist Church in Lilburn.

“Its been a great experience for me,” Davis said. “I had the priviledge of coaching my son this year and we’re getting to go to the state tournament together, which is one of the goals we set when we took over the team.”

The future remains bright for Davis’ program as he looks toward the 2006-07 campaign.

Cole and Andrew Perry return, and LCA is expecting another transfer student from one of the county’s public schools to make his presence felt immediately.

Lady Lions post 18-2 season record


 

Published February 24, 2006

LOGANVILLE — The Loganville Christian Academy girls go into this weekend’s East Region postseason tournament following a successful season which has rewarded the Lady Lions with a No. 2 seed.

LCA takes on the winner of yesterday’s Covenant Christian Academy vs. Barrow Christian Academy contest at 4 p.m. today at Victory Christian Academy in Conyers.

Loganville Christian has been led all season by seniors Deanna O’Leary and Amy Hawkins. Each player is blessed with excellent quickness and speed, according to head coach Jerry Hembree.

They will both leave LCA to attend Anderson University where they will be roommates.

“All of our players have worked hard,” said Hembree. “Amy has been the rock of our team. She has pulled down so many rebounds and has scored 121 points for us.

“Deanna is our bulldog of the team with 78 steals and 201 points. Both girls are very strong on and off the court.”

The Lady Lions have posted an 18-2 overall record by combining excellent outside shooting from players such as Eden York and Britney Doset.

Katie Moyers and Kristina Keeble paced the team in scoring and rebounding, respectively. Both players more than 6 feet tall.

Moyers, a sophomore, has scored 200 points and grabbed 114 rebounds.

Keeble, an eighth-grader, ended the regular season with 171 points and 127 rebounds.

Hembree said Amber Flores has been a big help with scoring and rebounding, giving LCA an excellent opportunity to advance deep into the Independent and Christian Schools of Georgia playoffs.

Hembree has been ably assisted this season by Tonya Corrente and Jeff Keeble.

“Coach Corrente and coach Keeble both bring glory and leadership to this team,” he said.

Loganville Christian sweeps CCA in hoops


 

Published February 17, 2006

LOGANVILLE — Loganville Christian Academy made a clean sweep of region rival Covenant Christian Friday night at Youth Middle School.

Eighth-grader Kristina Keeble scored 19 points and senior Amy Hawkins added 12 to lead the varsity Lady Lions to a 51-43 win over the CCA girls.

Ashlyn Henderson and Jennifer Hardy paced the Lady Cougars’ offense with 15 and 13 points, respectively.

LCA got five points each from Keeble and Katie Moyers in the opening period to open up a 13-8 lead. Covenant began the contest in a shooting slump with only two field goals in the first eight minutes.

Keeble continued to pour in the points in the second quarter with four field goals, helping her team to a 32-17 halftime advantage as CCA continued to struggle from the field against a strong Loganville defense.

Covenant began to mount a comeback in the third quarter, outscoring LCA 11-4 to slice the deficit to 32-28 going into the final period.

Henderson heated up in the fourth quarter with three 3-pointers, but the Lady Cougars were forced to foul late in the game and Loganville Christian responded by hitting nine shots from the free-throw line.

Lindsey Edwards added nine points and a team-leading 15 rebounds.

In the boys’ contest, Josh Cole fired in 31 points and the Lions won a 58-39 decision.

Jason Gresham led the way for CCA with 14 points.

Loganville Christian jumped out to a 17-4 first-quarter lead and forced their guests to play catch-up all evening.

Cole did his part in the second period with 12 points, helping the Cougars cut into the LCA lead. Loganville Christian held a 34-22 halftime advantage.

Cole stayed hot in the third quarter, adding eight more points. Teammate Andrew Perry was the only other Loganville player to connect from the field. However, CCA got limited offensive production. Only two field goals, one from Josh Higgins and one from Hansen, allowed the Lions to take control.

Loganville Christian hit nine of 12 free-throw attempts in the final period and held on for the victory.

More CCA action

On Feb. 9, the Covenant varsity teams won a doubleheader with Praise Christian Academy. Josh Higgins scored 22 points as the Cougars claimed a 61-22 decision.

The CCA girls got 16 points from Hardy and 15 from Edwards in a 41-37 victory.

Earlier in the week, the Lady Cougars dropped a 38-35 contest to Young Americans. Michelle Rockey led the scoring with 14 points., including three 3-pointers.

Lions hang onto first place


 

Published February 3, 2006

LOGANVILLE — The Loganville Christian Academy varsity boys remained in first place in their Independent Christian Schools of Georgia and Alabama (ICSGA) region with a 75-64 win over Alleluia Saturday in a game played at Youth Middle School.

Alex Blaine led four Lions in double figures with 25 points. Blaine scored 12 points in the third quarter.

Josh Cole added 19, Cory Mauney had 16, and Andrew Perry finished with 11.

Alleluia won the girls’ varsity contest 43-40 when Noel Wilby hit a 3-pointer as time was running out. Eighth-grader Kristina Keeble paced the LCA scoring with 19 points, while sophomore Katie Moyers chipped in with 10.

The Loganville Christian junior varsity girls stayed unbeaten (8-0) with a 36-30 victory. The JV boys also won a 54-16 decision.

Loganville Christian teams play in Atlanta


 

Published January 29, 2006

ATLANTA — The Loganville Christian Academy basketball teams hit the road last weekend for a pair of doubleheaders.

On Friday, the Lady Lions defeated Young Americans Christian School 53-35 on the Atlanta Hawks’ home floor at Philips Arena.

Kristina Keeble led the way with 17 points and Deanna O’Leary added 15.

The result wasn’t quite as joyous in the boys’ contest as the LCA team lost a 64-62 overtime thriller.

Josh Cole paced Loganville Christian with 30 points, Alex Blaine had 12 and Andrew Perry chipped in with 10 points.

On Saturday, the Lady Lions beat Forsyth Christian 56-32 behind 22 points from Katie Moyers and O’Leary’s 10.

The LCA boys won a 52-39 decision over Forsyth as Cole again led the way with 15 points. Perry finished with 14.

Loganville Christian hosts Cumberland Christian Academy Monday. The girls’ varsity games starts at 6 p.m.

LCA teams enjoy successful trips


 

Published January 27, 2006

ATLANTA —The Loganville Christian Academy basketball teams hit the road last weekend for a pair of doubleheaders.

On Friday, the Lady Lions defeated Young Americans Christian School 53-35 on the Atlanta Hawks’ home floor at Philips Arena.

Kristina Keeble led the way with 17 points and Deanna O’Leary added 15.

The result wasn’t quite as joyous in the boys’ contest as the LCA team lost a 64-62 overtime thriller.

Josh Cole paced Loganville Christian with 30 points, Alex Blaine had 12 and Andrew Perry chipped in with 10 points.

On Saturday, the Lady Lions beat Forsyth Christian 56-32 behind 22 points from Katie Moyers and O’Leary’s 10.

The LCA boys won a 52-39 decision over Forsyth as Cole again led the way with 15 points. Perry finished with 14.

Loganville Christian hosts Alleluia Saturday and then entertains Cumberland on Monday night.

LCA teams celebrate homecoming


 

Published January 22, 2006

LOGANVILLE — Loganville Christian School celebrated its first-ever homecoming night with a pair of varsity basketball victories on Jan. 13.

Katie Moyers’ 20-point effort paced the Lady Lions to a 77-26 win over Barrow County Christian Academy.

Kristina Keeble added 15 points and Deanna O’Leary chipped in with 10.

Josh Cole led a balanced scoring attack in the boys’ contest as the Lions improved to 9-2 overall and 5-1 in the region with a 79-47 win over Barrow County.

Cole had 22 points, Andrew Perry added 21 and Alex Blaine finished with 13 for LCA.

The next home game is Jan. 23 against New Creation. Junior varsity action begins at 4 p.m. and the varsity girls should tip off at approximately 6 p.m.