Tuscaloosa Academy Falls in 2A State Championship

Birmingham, Ala. - A special season for Tuscaloosa Academy came up just short in the 2A State Championship on Friday afternoon, with the Knights finishing as the runner up for the 2A State Title.

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The Providence Christian boys basketball team is the AHSAA Class 2A State Champions after defeating Tuscaloosa Academy 89-61 on Friday in Legacy Arena in Birmingham. Pearce Boone was the leading scorer for the Eagles in the victory with 35 points and 12 rebounds, collecting a double-double when the lights were brightest.

For Tuscaloosa Academy, Danilo Stojakovic led the way with 21 points, six assists, and five rebounds despite the loss. Matthew Atkins also added 14 points and seven rebounds. In the comeback attempt, Ellis Hamiter scored 10 points with four assists on the afternoon.

After the heartbreaking loss, TA head coach Luke Hutcheson used just one word to describe his team - fighters.

"It's been my favorite team I've ever had," Hutcheson said in the postgame. "They're just scrappy. They never back down from anybody. Even tonight you look up and they're down 30. They're still fighters."

Danilo Stojakovic's 21 points led the way for the Knights in the contest, and finished his Tuscaloosa Academy career with 1,015 points.

"To score 1,000 points in two years, and we really didn't play that many games either - we played 22 this year and about 20 last year," Hutcheson said of the career milestone for the Serbia native.

"That's impressive. That's very impressive, and it just shows the player he is and he should absolutely be getting looked at by the coach from the next level."

Hutcheson's parting words with his seniors as the 2024-2025 season came to a close, "I couldn't be more proud of these guys. It's not a good feeling but it's great to be here. We plan on being back."

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.