Excel Christian Eagles win 2024-25 GAPPS Class A state championship
February 23, 2025
Charles Wilson, BartowSportsZone.com
The Excel Christian Academy boys basketball team won the 2024-25 Georgia Association of Private and Parochial Schools (GAPPS) Class A State Championship on Saturday in Macon by defeating Notre Dame Academy of Duluth 67-61. The title game was played on the campus of The Academy for Classical Education.
The Eagles fell behind early, but a furious rally in the second and third quarters that included scoring contributions from nine different players put ECA in contention to complete their comeback in the fourth quarter.
The Irish Wolfhounds led 22-9 at the end of the first quarter and seemed in control. However, the Excel Christian come-from-behind charge began in the second period, with the Eagles narrowing their deficit to 36-29 by halftime.
ECA turned the tables in the third quarter by outscoring Notre Dame Academy 20-9. Evan Chappell had eight points in the quarter. Christian Vieira scored two buckets, and Jorge Ricardo, Kamarrion Profit, Jayden Jinks, and Kaiyu Huffman added two points each in the period as the Eagles claimed a 49-45 advantage with eight minutes remaining.
Chappell, who finished with a game-high 20 points, scored eight more points in the fourth quarter, and the Eagles made eight of twelve free throws down the stretch to seal their six-point victory and the state title.
Ricardo scored 10 points for Excel. Vieira, Jinks, and TJ Hubert finished with six points. Profit, Carter May, and Connor Garland contributed five points. Kaiyu Huffman added four points for the Eagles.
Kiandrey Thomas and Geronimo Holmes led the Wolfhounds with 19 points. CJ Peoples added 11 for Notre Dame Academy (18-10).
Excel Christian Academy completed the 2024-25 season with a 19-8 overall record and only one loss to a GAPPS opponent during the year. The other seven losses were against GHSA competition. The Eagles, under head coach Evan Black, went undefeated in their region regular season and won the GAPPS Region 1-A tournament championship.
The Eagles’ 2024-25 varsity roster includes eight seniors — Huffman, Chappell, May, Ricardo, Profit, Gavin Dyson, and Daniel Lewis. Viera is the only junior with sophomores Garland, Jinks, Hubert, and Tristan Jenkins.
