AACS Ends Season with Championship Run

By John Singleton

Annapolis Area Christian School was an unlikely contender for the MIAA B Conference crown this season. Not so many years ago they were a moderately successful team in the C division, but under Coach Doug Scheidt the Eagles fortunes have changed. On February 23, the Eagles faced off against heavily favored Glenelg Country School and their pair of D1 basketball prospects, 6-foot-8 junior Isaiah Miles and 6-5 sophomore Warren Powers.

“We have a group of young men who play with character,” Said Head Coach Doug Scheidt. “When we do that we have great success.”

Although the game culminated with in a 75-62 loss the season was an astonishing success for the over-achieving Eagles. The team clawed its way through the MIAA playoffs with wins over Mount Carmel, 64-46, in the first round and St. Paul’s, 46-44, in a second round game.

Going into the championship match the Eagles held a record of 20-9, including a first place showing in the Eagle Classic in December. They beat division rival Severn School twice and even bested St. Mary’s of Annapolis. Not bad for a squad that was not projected to contend for a championship this season.

“One of our best all around players is Conner Lipinksi,” said Scheidt, who teaches Bible classes at AACS. “He’s one of the toughest kids on the team, and we’ve really counted on him down the stretch.”

Lipinksi, who hails from Severn, scored 29 points to lead all scorers in the championship. Coach Scheidt credits his team’s ball-handling in pressure situations as a key factor in propelling the team to post-season success. He also credits a cohesive team structure that values each player for his unique skills and abilities. Another key component is an abundance of homegrown talent like Chandler Watson of Severna Park.

“We are very fortunate to have talented players like Chandler on our team,” added Scheidt, a graduate of Wheaton College. “He’s made a significant contribution and I really have enjoyed seeing him grow as young man and a basketball player.”

Watson, who played youth basketball for the Green Hornets organization, credits Coach Scheidt’s leadership as a decisive factor in the Eagles championship run. For Coach Scheidt, despite all the accolades that come along with a 20 win season, it’s the development of moral character among his players that drives his sense of accomplishment.

“Despite all the ups-and-downs in basketball my aim is to teach these young men what it is to honor Jesus Christ on and off the court,” summarized Scheidt, who hails from Illinois. “We want these boys to love the Lord and love each other more than themselves… When they do that, special things happen on the basketball court.”

For the 2010-11 Eagles that has certainly been the case. The AACS team consists of seniors Chandler Watson, Eric Mahaffey, Tyler Lewis, Phillip Perry, Thomas Williams and Geo Yates; juniors Connor Lipinski, Grant Harris, Daniel Gregory, Matt O’Neil, Steven Ridings and sophomores Austin Nwosu, Emmanuel Toney and Taylor Leabhart.