Asheville Christian Academy Looking to Win State Again

Last year, Asheville Christian Academy won the 3A State Title, and they are certainly looking to make another run this year. Even though they did lose one of their leading scorers, they added a player to fill that void. Here are some of the standouts we are excited to see in action this year. [caption id="attachment_199576" align="alignleft" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-199576" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/Nahndi-Smith-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: Joey Harrell Asheville Christian Academy[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="116889" first="Nahndi" last="Smith"] | 2021 Smith was a leader in the state championship game last year scoring 19 of ACA’s 36 points. She is an aggressive guard who likes to drive inside and fight through contact. She has an excellent shot, especially from behind the arc. Smith has a quick release with her shot making it very difficult to defend. She moves well without the ball knowing where to go to receive the pass herself, but she certainly racks up her own assists in each game. She does a great job of following shots to grab a rebound. On the other end of the court, she is a fierce defender who makes it difficult for opponents to be successful getting their play going. Smith has interests from Campbell and Presbyterian. Caroline Condra | 2021 Condra, standing at 5’10,” is a guard that brings a lot of assets to her team. She is very good at handling the ball and moving around her opponents to find the open teammate. Condra’s specialty is a great crossover move that seems to throw off defenders every time. She also has a nice shot herself from all over the court, and she shows that she is always prepared to put the shot up. She is quick on defense and uses her length to jump into passing lanes creating steals. When she grabs rebounds, she isn’t scared to take it all the way to the other end of the court to score her own transition points. EP Sluder | 2023 [caption id="attachment_199578" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-199578" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/EP-Sluder-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: Joey Harrell Asheville Christian Academy[/caption] Sluder likes to put on a shooting clinic showing off her shot from behind the arc. She also shows great vision on the court getting the ball where it needs to go every time. On the other end of the court, she is an aggressive defender picking the pocket of many guards who try to get by her with the ball. One of the best things about watching her play is how vocal she is showing that she has great leadership abilities even in her first few years in high school. She has interest from Lehigh.   <img class="size-medium wp-image-199582 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/Katie-Alexander-300x227.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="227" /> Katie Alexander | 2023 Alexander has been described as the Swiss Army knife of her team because she can certainly do it all. She can guard all five positions comfortably on defense. On offense, she finds ways to contribute on most plays whether she is scoring herself or distributing the ball to her teammates. She has a great shot from behind the arc and she is consistently one of the first players making it to the other end of the court on a fast break. Her IQ is very high already knowing the best time and position to make a pass or score the bucket already. She sees the court well knowing where to go to get the pass herself. She is a true leader on the floor, too, always encouraging her teammates. Emma Larios | 2023 [caption id="attachment_199583" align="alignright" width="200"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-199583" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/Emma-Larios-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /> Photo: Joey Harrell, Asheville Christian Academy[/caption] Larios is the newest addition to the team looking to fill the void of losing a top scorer, and she is certainly more than capable of doing just that. She is one of the toughest girls you will see playing at her age. She is an excellent ball handler using speed and agility to blow by defenders. She uses her great vision of the court to make well placed passes to her teammates when she needs to, and she is capable of scoring from all over the court herself, especially from behind the arc. She is a terror on defense being able to keep herself in front of opponents making it hard for them to even get passes by her. She has interests from Furman, Wofford, UNC Asheville, Chattanooga, and High Point.