After a gut-wrenching loss to Centerburg in the second round of the playoffs last season, the CA boys basketball team is looking to erase the bad taste in its mouth with a district championship this year.
Despite finishing with a 18-8 record last year, the Vikings are hungry for even more success. After losing four valuable seniors, Coach Jeff Warstler has managed to reload his lineup to compete for a title. Led by senior captains Ryan Alexander, Brett Bates, and Nick Stringer, the Vikes seem ready to make a deep playoff run.
The Vikings had a tri-scrimmage on Tuesday, November 15, at which they defeated both Granville and Mifflin. Sophomore forward Chris Boyle was encouraged by the win, saying, “It was exciting to see what our team will be bringing to the table this year. We are ready to do big things.”
Roster:
Ryan Alexander’17
Brett Bates’17
Lou Burns’17
Nick Stringer’17
Addis Boyd’18
Ryan Mitchell’18
Herman Moultrie’18
TJ Whitman’18
Chris Boyle’19
Dorrian Moultrie’19
Each player will be extremely important to the team’s success. Alexander will be the main scoring threat, as he led the Vikes with 14.1 ppg last season. Bates—although currently injured—will protect the paint by bringing lots of physicality to the Vikings defense.
Burns is a dangerous scorer off the bench and a sharpshooter from 3-point range. Stringer is the shooting guard, coming off a great year in which he led Academy is both 3-pointers made and steals.
Boyd is a center, who, despite being undersized for the position, plays with enough intensity and ferocity to more than make up for it.
Mitchell is the point guard, and is a fantastic passer and defender. Herman Moultrie is also dealing with an injury, but with his return, the team will be getting back a suffocating defender and an elite athlete. Whitman is a talented scorer, who can heat up at any moment from long distance. Boyle is a gifted scorer and rebounder, and also plays great defense.
Finally, Dorrian Moultrie, an exceptional athlete, is a tough defender and an even better ball-handler.
The Vikes are loaded with talent, and they will have another chance to put it on display at their scrimmage on Saturday, November, 19. The first game of the regular season is on December 3. If Academy puts everything together, it will be an extremely dangerous team come playoff time.
