After broken-down bus, FACS upends Goodpasture

COOKEVILLE — First Assembly Christian School's week couldn't have started any worse.

On its way to Cookeville for the Division II-A state tournament, the Crusaders' bus broke down. Luckily for them, the TCA girls basketball team stopped to give them a ride. FACS never let the stress from the trip get to it.

The Crusaders crushed Clarksville Academy in the Division II-A state semifinals, then beat reigning champion Goodpasture 48-42 to win the program's first state championship.

"This is everything I thought it would be," FACS coach D'marius Wilkes said. "It's a great feeling right now and I couldn't imagine it being any other way with these guys. We played our style of basketball in the second half and you see the results.

"I'm proud of these guys."

Led by eight seniors, including Mr. Basketball finalist Daniel Egbuniwe, the Crusaders (29-2) went into the state tournament with bitter memories from the past two seasons.

FACS lost to Lausanne in the championship game in 2020 and was knocked out in the quarterfinals last season by Goodpasture (29-6).

Getting the chance for revenge against Goodpasture was all it could think about following the win over Clarksville Academy, Egbuniwe said.

"Getting to go against them again was a big thing for us," Egbuniwe said. "As soon as we saw the matchup we got excited because we wanted revenge since they got us last year."

Egbuniwe made the most of his opportunity, coming close to a doubledouble with a game-high 22 points and nine rebounds. Of his 22 points, 14 came in the second half, including nine in the fourth quarter.

Goodpasture shot 52% but was held to 29 possessions for the game. Turnovers also played a factor, as FACS only had five and the Cougars had nine.

As the final seconds ticked off, there was no hiding the emotion as the Crusaders and their fans behind the bench began to celebrate.

"With everything we went through, it does make this that much sweeter but I told them when we got here that this was no time for excuses," Wilkes said.

"The focus I've seen in these guys here was unmatched. I knew they were going to do something special this week."

STEPHANIE AMADOR / THE TENNESSEAN FACS celebrate the Division II Class A State Boys' Basketball State Championship title trophy at Hooper Eblen Center in Cookeville, Tenn., Saturday, March 5, 2022.