They might do they’re learning at home, but they sure know how to take teams to school on the hardwood.
The Eastern Association of Christian Home Schools, otherwise known as TEACH, recently won its first girls basketball state championship in its history as it topped Bethel Assembly Christian Academy 47-34 to win the North Carolina Christian Athletic Association crown.
Guided by fourth-year head coach Greg Rowe, the TEACH Blazers roster is comprised of area homeschooled athletes and together they have taken the Blazers from a fledgling program to state champs.
TEACH competes in the North Division of the 10-team North Carolina Christian Athletic Conference, which the Blazers won before entering the NCCAA state tournament.
Only in its fourth year of existence, the TEACH girls’ basketball team has reached heights never before seen and the good news for the Blazers is that their season is far from over as they have been invited to play in the National Association of Christian Athletes national tournament in Dayton, Tennessee, which begins Wednesday when they take on Dayspring Christian (Virginia) at 11:30 a.m.
It was a bit of a bitter sweet moment after the Blazers backcourt tandem of sister guards Whitney and Jessica Rowe combined to score 33 of the team’s 47 points to clinch the state championship against Bethel as the team’s seniors came to the realization that the victory would be their last in a Blazers uniform. That was until they got a phone call telling them that their season had gone into overtime.
“When we ended the season by winning the state tournament we shared some tears in the locker room with the seniors who thought that was their last game,” Rowe said. “Then we got the call from the NACA with the invite to play in the tournament, it was like we had a new life.”
Powered by starters Jessica Rowe (15 ppg, 5 apg, 2.3 spg), Whitney Rowe (16.5 ppg, 3 apg, 2 spg), Kasey Tooley (7 ppg, 12 rpg, 2 spg), Caroline Gardner (6 ppg, 7 rpg), Olivia Maxey (5 ppg, 7 rpg) and Taylor Woolard (4 ppg, 4 rpg) the Blazers have burned teams to the tune of a 20-3 record so far this year.
“Our offensive leaders are Jessica Rowe, our point guard, and her sister Whitney Rowe, our shooting guard (both of which are Rowe’s daughters), they lead the team in most statistical categories,” Rowe said. “Defensively, everyone buys in, but our defensive leaders I would have to say are Kasey Tooley and Olivia Maxey.”
Both Whitney and Jessica were named co-MVPs of the state tournament, while Tooley was placed on the all-state tourney team. The trio also earned all-conference honors.
Together, they help the Blazers play a high-speed brand of basketball that has been instrumental in their success.
“We play a fast paced game,” Rowe said. “We try to run. We’re not a big team and we don’t have a lot of size so we try to make up for that by playing an aggressive fast-paced game.”
In order to be successful in the NACA tournament Rowe said it’s imperative the team sticks to the script.
“We’re not going to change anything about who we are,” Rowe said. “We’re going to push the ball and play tough defense. I’m not going to try and change to our opponents, we want to make the other team change based on the way we play.”