Legacy Junior Boys Win 1A State Title; Junior Girls are Runners-Up

LOCKESBURG, ARK—Legacy Academy’s junior boys basketball team brought a state title home to Sevier County on Saturday; the team’s first since beginning a basketball program with a junior boys team five years ago. The junior Warriors battled Prism Education Center of Fayetteville in the Heartland Christian Athletic Association (HCAA)’s 1A state championship play. It was the second team from Fayetteville the Warriors had to face in tournament play, after beating Fayetteville Christian last Tuesday in the tournament’s semi-finals. HCAA is a national recognized athletic association of Christian schools in Oklahoma and Arkansas. Like AAA, HCAA is a member of the National Federation of High School Sports (NFHS). The junior boys had a strong season against private and public school opponents both. They ended the season with a 15-4 record overall and a 9-2 record in conference play.

The junior boys faced defending state champions, the Prism Bears, of Fayetteville in the tournament’s title showdown. The game was evenly matched and intensified as it began to come to a close. The Lockesburg squad outscored Prism 10-6 in the opening quarter, which included anther pointer by point guard, Eli Mitchell and another one by 7th grader Manolo Vazquez. The Bears went on a three point run hitting 4 three pointers in the second quarter. Three of those by their point guard, Shep Newcomb. After outscoring the Warriors 14-7 in the second quarter, the Warriors went to the locker room at the half trailing the Fayetteville team 20-17. The game intensified in the second half and Warrior fans echoed throughout the gym with full fan efforts hoping to push the Warriors across the finish line! The Warriors out scored the Bears 9-8 in the third quarter, only closing the game by 1 point. They started the 4th quarter with a two point deficit to make up. The game tied off and one and both teams traded the lead back and forth in the fourth quarter. With 45 second left the Warriors trailed by 1 but had the ball. In a time out, the team planned a shot to take in hope of capturing the win. The team executed the play, but the shot didn’t fall. The Bears had the ball again with less than 25 seconds, forcing the Warriors to foul, hoping for a steal or a turn over at the free throw line. Since Legacy was several fouls from putting their opponents in the bonus. The Warriors attempted to deny the in bound pass from the sideline twice unsuccessfully, quickly fouling to stop the clock. With 3.8 seconds left of the clock Mitchell deflected the inbound pass and drove it straight to the rim with a perfect lay up. He was fouled on the lay up, but missed his shot at the free-throw line. The Warriors won 37-36.

Vazquez led scoring with 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to get a double double in the state tournament. Mitchell gave the team 12 points, followed by Jude Gallagher with 5. Brayson Talley grabbed 5 boards, while Everrette Martz provided the team with 5 assists. James Bartek added a crucial three pointer, while Martz and Brayson Talley gave the team two points each.

Legacy’s Junior Girls finished a great season with an overall record of 13-3, and an undefeated conference record of 7-0. They battled hard through the regional tournaments to make a surprise appearance in the title match against Lakewood Christian. It was a lopsided match from the very beginning and the Lady Warriors fell to Lakewood’s much stronger girls’ program 39-6. Coach Zebbie Launius said, “It’s really amazing that our girls were able to have a winning record and make it to the state championship game. It was a tough lose and not what you want in that big of a game, but it was a real tribute to our girls that they were able to get there.”

Located in Lockesburg on the former Lockesburg Elementary School campus, Legacy Academy is in its 15th year as Sevier County’s only private Christian school. The school moved to its new campus 3 1/2 years ago, but began its athletic program five years ago with a partial junior high boys’ schedule for its first squad. The following year a junior girls’ team was added and both junior high teams played their home games at he college’s newly renovated old Lockesburg gym.. A senior boys program was launched in 2019-20, with the senior girls team being added in the 2020-21 school year. This is the third season for the schools to be able to host home games in their own gymnasium. “To secure a state title is an honor for any basketball team and school, but being such a young program makes the title extra special” said school founders and boys’ coach, Chad Gallagher. He continued, “This title for the boys and runner-up place for the girls’ shows how hard these players have worked!”