On January 27th, the Girls Varsity Basketball team beat Oglethorpe County in an away game 62-32, demonstrating just one example of their dominance on the court this season. The team has been very strong, beating most of their opponents by over 15 points, and they currently hold a record of 15 wins and 5 losses to back them up as they head into regions with just three games in their regular season remaining.
Coming into the season, the ACAD team was prepared for their tough schedule and to play against the likes of Elbert County and Banks County on the public side of the bracket in their upcoming region tournament. The team is currently ranked third in their region and looks forward to the region tournament which will be hosted at Piedmont College, making it a neutral court for all teams. As far as expectations for state go, the team hopes to have a high seed coming out of regions and looks forward to a good chance of winning and hosting at least one game.
It is clear that the bonds within the team are very strong, which is reflected in the way they play on the court. Head Coach, Brian Olson, commented on the players saying, “I’m proud of how the girls are as people, how they compete, and how they always want to get better, but especially of how they are supportive of each other.”
The team only has one senior, Marie Rutledge, but Chloe Love Bell, a sophomore on the team, emphasized, “We all work together really hard and when we play out best, it really does reflect in the score.” Chloe also explained that the healthy dynamic within the team makes the game fun, and that they are playing for “a better purpose,” which helps to motivate them to play their hardest and constantly improve.
While the team has had many games on the road, they love playing at home and seeing all their student fans come out to support. Coach Olson commented on the home game atmosphere and how it contrasts with the many away games they play saying, “The more the student support, the more the players feel supported and valued, so it does make a difference, but seeing as the team has a lot of away games, they do not rely on that atmosphere as much.”
Sophomore, Owen Whitaker, explained how it was nice to see “everyone cheering on their classmates” and that he often goes to home games, as does a majority of the student body, resulting in the supportive student atmosphere cultivated by home games.
The team hopes to extend their winning record at the home game this Friday against Commerce, and they expect to see a large student turnout in support of the seniors’ senior night.
