The Varsity boys of Faith Academy recently competed in the TAIAO State Tournament at the Round Rock Sports Complex, and despite losing key players throughout the year, the Knights showed up ready to play their hearts out. The tournament was a great opportunity for the Knights to showcase their skills and compete at a high level.
On the first day of the tournament, the Knights faced off against the Hill County Longhorns. The team came out strong and dominated from the start, with freshman Joe Bob Lequerica hitting three 3-pointers in the first three minutes of the game. Fellow freshman Gabe Mikeska also contributed to the scoring, sinking a 3-pointer and making an impressive layup. Seniors John Poorman and Jonah Taake also played a vital role in securing the win, with Poorman adding two 3-pointers and grabbing rebounds, and Taake scoring in his Senior State Tournament. The Knights’ defense, led by sophomores Travis Woodley, Dylan Callihan, and Andrew Stolz, also played a key role in securing an early victory with a final score of 64-22.
In their second game of the day, the Knights faced off against the El Paso Homeschool Panthers. Once again, the Knights came out strong and jumped to an early lead with 3-pointers by Lequerica and Mikeska. Freshman Gage Wilson also contributed to the scoring, making jump shots and an acrobatic layup for his first 6 points. Everett Yates showed defensive tenacity, scrambling for loose balls that led to easy layups. Callihan also made some good cuts on the offensive side of the ball and scored some layups towards the end of the contest. The Knights secured their spot in the semi-finals with a final score of 68-41.
On the second day of the tournament, the Knights faced Founders Classical of Leander in the semi-finals. Founders started strong and took an early lead, but the Knights fought back with more 3-pointers from Lequerica and Mikeska. Woodley dominated the boards with his physical, tough play, and Stolz also fought for rebounds in the paint. Callihan made some good cuts on the offensive side of the ball and scored some layups towards the end of the contest, but Founders pulled away with two late 3-pointers, ultimately defeating the Knights 54-41.
Despite the loss, the Knights played their hearts out and gave it their all throughout the tournament. Joe Bob Lequerica was named player of the week for his impressive performance, scoring over 55 points in the three games and going 14/20 on 3-pointers. He also had 10+ steals in those games. The Knights can hold their heads high knowing that they competed at a high level and represented their school with pride. Congratulations to the Faith Academy Knights on a great showing in the TAIAO State Tournament! GO KNIGHTS!
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