PIAA Class A Girls Basketball: Bullard the driving force behind Christian Academy
NEWTOWN SQUARE – The Christian Academy’s entire offensive strategy revolves around its 6-foot-3 senior center.
Head coach Jason Wilt doesn’t try to make it a secret. For the Crusaders to have success, Amber Bullard has to touch the ball as often as possible in the low post. Teams such as High Point Baptist Academy can try to double-and triple-team her until the cows come home, but that approach fails when the players doing the defending are significantly smaller than Bullard.
And that’s when you get games like Saturday.
Bullard dominated with 30 points, 24 rebounds and four blocked shots to lead District 1 champion TCA to a 55-33 win in the first round of the PIAA Class A tournament. It is TCA’s first victory in the PIAA playoffs since 2018.
The Crusaders (20-7) play St. John Neumann of District 4 in the second round Wednesday, time and location to be determined.
Bullard was tired after a productive first quarter in which she scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds as Christian Academy enjoyed a 24-10 advantage.
“For me it’s about finishing and being patient,” Bullard said. “I know no one can stop me when I am going up strong.”
Bullard is a great story. She’s played basketball for about three years. While she has a long way to go before she is a complete player, Bullard has improved in such a short amount of time.
Bullard caught the attention of several Division I coaches on the AAU scene with her team, the Lehigh Fever. She committed to La Salle prior to her senior season and will learn how to become a productive Division I center under the tutelage of Archbishop Carroll grad Mountain MacGillivray.
“I am just focused on getting better every day,” she said.
Teah Mack, a senior co-captain and starting point guard for the Crusaders, had a solid floor game with five points, seven assists and three steals.
“Last year we were playing with six, and this year we are playing with six. There’s not a big difference, but coach keeps us conditioned and working hard,” Mack said. “It does get hard sometimes, but we have to do everything we can to get the win.
Lea Sareyka (eight points, five assists) and Gabi Smith (nine points, five rebounds, three steals) played well for the Crusaders.
“Lea has really stepped up to help Teah with the ball. One of our starters, Elle (Cryan), was out and we hope we can get her back next game,” Wilt said. “It’s just learning how a team is going to play Amber. Are they just going to pack it in and give us jumpers, or are they going to double team her and leave someone open like they did at the end. I’m not complaining because I’ve been playing five guards for years. Amber obviously has changed a lot for us and she has worked hard to get better.”
Bethany Thompson paced the Eagles with 13 points and Gracelyn Yarnell added eight points and three steals.
