Valor Christian defeats Unity in semifinal
♦ Lions fall in Final Four matchup, ending season at 15-12 overall.
The Unity Christian Lions fell to eventual state-champion Valor Christian School in the Georgia Association of Private and Parochial Schools semifinal 53-36 Saturday in Macon. Unity’s season ends at 15-12 overall.
“We knew we could compete for a championship this year,” Lions head coach Matt Claytor said in an emailed statement. “Our goal was to be playing the last weekend on the season. We did that.”
During the regular season and state playoff run, Unity was led by six seniors: Hudson Hill, Zach Irmscher, Drew King, Levi Lodge, Bradyn Salmon and Tahiri Tolbert.
“The majority of this group has been playing together since they were in middle school,” Claytor said. “They are the most talented group to ever come through Unity. They have worked hard to build a legitimate program.”
“We are going to miss the leadership of our seniors, but this is only the beginning for our program,” Claytor continued. “We have an extremely talented group coming back next year. Our seniors have given them the blue print for success.”
Hill led the Lions in the final contest of 2020-21 with 14 points. Tolbert and Austin Wilkerson each had nine points.
Johnny Whitley and Bailey Mohler each notched two points.
“We also set out to show that we could compete with area schools,” Claytor said. “We played our toughest schedule ever. We won a few and were competitive in every game we played.”