Senior Ryan Mitchell contests a jump shot. Chris Heermann’18/Media editor
The CA boys basketball team’s remarkable season came to a close in the district semifinals, as #3 seed Bishop Ready outlasted the #6 seed Vikings, 64-56.
After ripping through sectionals with a pair of blowout victories, Academy was brimming with confidence heading into its clash with the Silver Knights. But the Vikes came out of the gates ice-cold, and Bishop Ready bolted ahead to a 10-3 lead. CA’s offense finally came to life, yet the Silver Knights still led by 5 after the first quarter.
The Vikings began to drop back in the second period. Juniors Dorrian Moultrie and Chris Boyle tried to keep Academy close, but they couldn’t match Bishop Ready’s explosive offense on the other end. Moultrie led the Vikes with 20 points, and Boyle added 12. The Silver Knights slowly pulled away and held a commanding 31-19 advantage at the half.
Energized coming out of the break, CA immediately went on an 8-2 run to chop the deficit in half. A veteran Bishop Ready squad did not panic, and instead responded with a 12-5 stretch of its own. Moultrie buried a midrange jumper to end the quarter, but the Vikings trailed by 11 heading into the fourth period.
Academy refused to go down quietly, closing the gap to 52-46 with just under 5 minutes remaining. Unfortunately, the Vikes wouldn’t get any closer, as woeful free throw shooting came back to haunt them. CA connected on just 11 of its 23 attempts from the charity stripe. The Silver Knights fended off one final rally from the Vikings in the closing moments and punched their ticket to the district championship game.
Despite an earlier exit from the postseason than Academy had hoped for, it was an incredible year for the Vikes, nonetheless. They finished with a 20-5 overall record, one of the best seasons in school history. Seniors Addis Boyd, Davis Friedman, Karibi Hart, Ryan Mitchell, Herman Moultrie, and TJ Whitman will be sorely missed, but CA will have enough talent to compete for a district title again next winter. The junior trio of Moultrie, Boyle, and Hayden Compton leads the charge of returning players.
