EA boys earn AISA Class A hoops title with 47-42 win over ACA
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Rontae Watson scored 11 of his 19 points in the final period, and Bryce Stevens hit two long-distance shots late in the second half, as Escambia Academy’s Cougars won their 18th game in a row, a 47-42 decision over Abbeville Christian Academy (ACA) that earned the EA boys program its third state championship.
Stevens scored a team-high 20 points, and Watson — who had scored 34 of EA’s points in a 49-45 Final Four win over Trinity the night before — combined for all but 8 of their team’s points in the Alabama Independent School Association (AISA) Class A championship game, played last Friday, February 14, at Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl Multiplex.
The showdown with ACA was EA’s third game in as many days. The Cougars knocked off The Oaks High School from Opelika by a 60-46 margin last Wednesday, February 12, in Elite Eight action to set up the semifinals matchup with Trinity.
EA Coach Jerome Webster’s resume includes several years at Monroe County High School and a stint at Escambia County High School that included back-to-back Final Four appearances by the Lady Blue Devils. Last week’s state championship was the first for Webster, who took the EA reins prior to the 2022-23 season.
“The boys just finished growing up,” Webster explained. “They did a lot of hard work, a lot of extra running, but the biggest thing is, they came together as a team and believed in each other.”
The Cougars held a 12-9 advantage at the end of the first period, then outscored the Generals 13-7 to increase their lead to 9 at the half. ACA came alive in the second half, using its transition game to gain a 14-8 third-period advantage that made it a 3-point game (33-30) going into the final stanza.
EA used its stingy defense and Watson’s hot hand to claim a 14-12 fourth-quarter advantage that sealed the deal. Stevens, who had not connected on a 3-point basket all season, hit one late in the third period and another in the fourth to help keep ACA at bay.
There is some question about the number of AISA hoops championships the school has won, but data posted on ahsfhs.com shows the Cougars last took home the winners’ trophy at the end of the 2003-04 season, when current Auburn University Assistant Coach Chad Prewett was the EA coach.
Also according to the website, Escambia Academy won a state title in the 1985-86 season, under Coach Richard Lovvorn. The team fell just short last year, dropping a 58-51 decision to Banks Academy in the state championship game. According to ahsfhs, EA also went to the Final Four in 1999 and in 2018.
EA Athletic Director Chris Kirk, who was a member of the 1985-86 team, said he jokingly told the players before last week’s title tilt that the time had come for a first-place trophy to put in the school’s display case.
“We had been runners-up four times in the past 10 years, so I told the boys I didn’t want them to come home with another silver basketball (the second-place trophy),” he laughed. “This year, we had the core group back from last year. Stevens was the only new player. He hadn’t really caught fire like he did the other day, but he came through for us. Rontae scored his 1,000th point as a junior, and he directed traffic for us.”
Kirk also praised the play of Traegen James, who came up with two steals late in the game, and Ty McCants, who harassed ACA ballhandlers throughout the contest and converted one of James’s thefts into two points.
“Tragen was really big there at the end, and Ty is our defensive specialist,” he said.
Watson, Stevens and McCants were named to the seven-player All-Tournament Team.
The AD also praised the job done by Webster and his assistant, Larry Nichols, who is also the school’s football coach.
“They got the boys where they needed to be,” he said. “EA has the best record in the AISA — Class A or AA — over the last two years (22-3 last year, 24-2 this year). That’s hard to do.”
The Cougars were ranked by the Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA) as the second-best AISA team in the state — regardless of classification — at the end of the regular season.
Kirk pointed out the EA basketball program became a source of school pride even before its football program, which has captured two state titles and six region championships, did.
“EA has a tradition of basketball excellence,” he said. “We’ve had success in football, track and other sports, but our basketball program goes way back.”