Lakeway Christian Academy won the NACA 2020 Division IV national title. (Photo: Bob Vick)
The Lakeway Christian Academy basketball programs will be TSSAA playoff eligible in the 2021 playoffs.
So, in their last season playing as an independent, the girls and boys basketball teams made their presence felt this week in the National Association of Christian Athletes (NACA) national tournament in Dayton, Tenn.
LIONS TAKE TITLE
The Lakeway girls team (22-4) claimed the NACA Division IV National Championship via a 72-50 win over Maryland’s Riverdale Baptist on Friday afternoon.
Lakeway won all four of its tournament games and ended its season on a nine-game win streak.
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“I’m just excited for the kids. They’ve worked so hard and come so far in less than two years,” said LCA girls coach Randy Coffman. “Last year, we had a chance to play in nationals and had a good go at it.
“We just didn’t finish. This year, we had a chance to come back and get redemption.”
Jordaynia Ivie, a junior guard, scored 25 points in Friday’s win over Riverdale Baptist and chipped in six steals and five assists. She was named the tournament’s defensive MVP.
Maggie Vick, a 6-foot-4, junior post, pitched in 14 points and 11 rebounds. She was named the tournament offensive MVP.
Eighth-grade guard Madi Hawk contributed 15 points. Freshman Halli Stuffle added 12.
“I think the one thing that’s been a strength of ours all year has been our ability to share and shoot the ball,” said Coffman.
With a bulk of its lineup back for the 2020-21 season, Lakeway will certainly have lofty expectations in their first true TSSAA season.
They got a sampling during the 2019-20 regular season of some of their future Division II-A league opponents, fairing well against teams like Grace, CAK and The King’s Academy.
But state championships will be the standard. Coffman led Riverdale, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., to three consecutive state championships (2016-18) before taking the job at LCA.
“We’ll prepare like every other school does in the offseason,” said Coffman. “We’ll start in the spring with player development. We’ll carry that into the summer and get back into team stuff and see where we stack up across the state.
“It’s just an exciting time for us. Great opportunity. I told the kids today that not many teams get to say they won their last game of the season. It’s really big for our kids to get a chance to feel that going into the offseason. I’m really elated for the kids.”
LAKEWAY BOYS FALL IN TITLE GAME
A year after winning a Division 5 NACA National Title, the Lakeway boys basketball team fell in overtime Friday in the national finale in Division III.
Still, Georgetown signee and Lakeway senior guard Dante Harris was named tournament offensive MVP.
He scored 31 points and buried a 3 at the end of regulation to force overtime. But Galilean (Ky.) got the win, 81-79.