Home is state of mind for Faith Christian Academy girls team

PALMHURST — There is no glossy hardwood basketball court. The court, instead, is cement scattered with weathered cracks. On one side of the court there’s a 1-inch wide crack — a little more than a foot inbounds — paralleling the length of the baseline.

Two sets of aluminum bleachers, five rows high, line the court. It’s enough to seat 150, elbow to elbow.

It’s not much, but proudly it is home for the Faith Christian Academy girls basketball team.

“It’s as close as you can get to home,” said Judy S. Valte, one of three seniors for the Lady Knights.

Perhaps that explains why the Lady Knights are one win away from the Final Four in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, the largest governing body of private school sports in Texas. The Knights (22-2), District 6-1A champions, will play Geneva School of Boerne in the TAPPS state quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Durbon Center in San Antonio.

“We feel it’s our year,” said 5-foot-11 senior center Alicia Torres, who averages 17 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks per game.

“There’s just this unity, closeness about this team.”

Four years ago, Faith Christian Academy left the Texas Christian Athletic League. Due to lack of organization, along with the increased level of play in TAPPS, Faith Christian Academy decided to jump ship, Lady Knights sixth-year coach Kerry Dixon said.

“We had good teams, but nothing like this,” said senior guard Esthmer Santos, whose team owns wins this season against Class 1A Rio Grande Valley public schools San Isidro and San Perlita. Both public schools qualified for the 1A state playoffs.

Faith Christian Academy, situated next to Faith Baptist Church at the corner of Shary Road and 3 Mile Line, teaches children of all ages, from kindergarten to 12th grade. The high school, ninth grade through 12th, only has 34 students.

Eight students make up the senior class. There are nine in the junior class.

And with eight students on the Lady Knights’ basketball team, that’s more than enough.

“We don’t have the nice hardwood floor,” junior point guard Tessia Gonzalez said. “We don’t have tryouts to be on the team. If you show up, you’re on the team. We don’t have the nice gym, as they have in public schools. But we don’t need that.

“We’re fine right here. It’s all we know, and we love every bit of it.”

Wade Baker is Executive Sports Editor of Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4450 or via e-mail at wbaker@themonitor.com.