Victory Christian Center rallies to down United Faith Christian in NCISAA 1A boys basketball title

Victory Christian Center was down eight and struggling to get a bucket with just a precious few minutes left in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 1A boys basketball championship on Friday.

But the Kings tapped into what had served them well all season: their defense.

Victory Christian Center went on a final run to come away with a 48-44 win over conference foe United Faith Christian. The Kings outscored the Falcons 14-2 down the stretch after falling behind 42-34.

Victory Christian Center led United Faith 24-17 at halftime, but that lead disintegrated in the third quarter.

A 3-pointer by UFCA's D.J. Boyce Jr. beat the buzzer to end the third quarter and take a 39-34 lead. The Falcons won that quarter by a 22-10 margin.

But in the final moments, Victory Christian Center got the stops it needed. With the game tied 44-44 with less than a minute left, Xavier Perry hit a floater — that hit the rim three times before falling in — with 37.6 seconds left. A few final free throws gave the Kings their four-point victory.

The Kings held the Falcons to just five fourth-quarter points.

It was the culmination of a three-year turnaround for coach Melvin Rendleman. Victory Christian went 14-14 last year and was 5-20 in his first season.

UFCA was led by point guard J.D. Bowden's 17 points. Perry led all VCCS players with 12.

The Kings (28-8) and Falcons (25-8) split their season series in the Southern Piedmont Athletic Association. UFCA was the 1-seed in the bracket while the Kings were the 2-seed.

Scoring Summary

Victory Christian Center: Xavier Perry 12, Alius Bowser 4, Justyn Whitfield 10, Myles Smith 8, Carlos Marshall 6, Abubakar Cham 8

United Faith Christian: J.D. Bowden 17, Julien Evering 2, D.J. Boyce Jr. 7, Logan Johnson 2, Isaiah Sutherland 7, Dylan Deluca 9