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The Grace Christian Academy Cougars advanced to the second round of the GIAA State Playoffs on Wednesday night as they cruised to a 62-51 victory over the Fullington Academy Trojans. With their win, the Cougars picked up win number 15 on the season and will take on ​​Robert Toombs Christian Academy on Saturday in the second round of the playoffs.

The Cougars dominated all facets of the game on Wednesday night as they attacked the Trojans from the start and played with the lead for a majority of the game. Offensively, three players for the Cougars notched double figures as Keith Eidson led the team with 17 points, shooting an efficient 80% from the field. Kevin Brooks notched 16 points followed by Corin McKay with 14 points, as McKay also went 50% from beyond the arc.

Defensively, the Cougars were aggressive as they forced 16 steals, four blocks and 32 total rebounds, 17 of which provided the Cougars with second chance points. Their dominant win on Wednesday night set the Cougars up for a Saturday night matchup against Robert Toombs Christian Academy in the second round of the GIAA Boys Basketball State Playoffs.

All season long, head coach Travis Harrison put an emphasis on execution, defensive effort and consistency, and those qualities were shown in their win on Wednesday night. Harrison and the Cougars know that in the State Playoffs, it’s all about winning and advancing.

RTCA came into Saturday night’s matchup with an extremely similar resume to the Cougars. Both teams came into Saturday with 15 wins, both having an 8-3 home record, and both teams scoring a total of 1,475 points on the season. Saturday’s matchup was set up to be a competitive one and it did not disappoint.

Kevin Brooks’ 13 points alongside Corin McKay’s 10 points led the Cougars offensively as seven different Cougars notched points in the stat sheet. Defensively, the Cougars were a force on the glass, hauling in 20 defensive rebounds alongside 13 steals. However, RTCA played just as well as their shooting and rebounding seemed to be firing on all-cylinders Saturday night.

The two teams battled in a four-quarter classic that came right down to the end, but ultimately RTCA nudged out a 53-50 season as the Cougars season came to a close. Despite the loss, the Cougars 2023 season was nothing short of successful as they ended the season with a 15-9 overall record and a second place finish in their region.