Burlington School beats Victory Christian in NCISAA 1A final
The Burlington School avenged its only loss of the season, beating Victory Christian 57-51 in the N.C. Independent Schools 1A state championship Saturday at Asheville School.
Burlington School (31-1) won its first state championship. Victory Christian finished its season at 27-7.
Victory beat Burlington School 44-42 at a Christmas tournament in December.
Saturday, Victory Christian maintained a lead for much of the game but began to struggle with a half-court trap employed by Burlington coach Ron Johnson, who previously coached at Davidson Day and Concord’s Cannon School. And with just over three minutes to play, Victory center Ebuka Izundu, a Charlotte 49ers recruit, fouled out. The Kings still led 47-45, but lost a major inside presence in the 6-10 Izundu, who finished with 14 points.
The Kings had two chances to tie in the final seconds but missed a 3-point shot and had a turnover.
Junior point guard Ty Gadsden led the Kings with 15 points, three rebounds and an assist.
N.C. 1A All-State Team
Dennis Smith, Trinity Christian; Lonzia Tyson, Trinity Christian; Ebuka Izundu, Ty Gadsden, Victory Christian; Will Crandell, Greenfield; Joel Davis, Wayne Country Day; Romeao Ferguson, Burlington School; AJ Sanders, Greenfield School; Sae’Quahn Rogers, Burlington School; Ben Bennett, United Faith
This story was originally published February 28, 2015 at 9:44 PM with the headline "Burlington School beats Victory Christian in NCISAA 1A final."