STEENS — Columbus Christian Academy girls basketball head coach Billy Thomas waited until after the Mid-South Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Futures All-Star game on Thursday to give forward Faith Yeates the news.
Originally, Yeates thought it was an extension of being named district most valuable player in January, but this was much bigger.
Yeates was named the MAIS 2A Player of the Year after she and the Rams went on a Cinderella run to winning the MAIS 2A title as a No. 3 seed.
It came as a shock to the sophomore, who was the backbone for CCA in the post. But once it all settled in, that shock turned to pure joy.
“It all happened in the moment,” Yeates said. “Once I was done playing in the game, I was all happy from playing and then I found that out and I said, ‘Woah, I got that too?’ It was crazy.”
Yeates helped orchestrate a historic season for Columbus Christian Academy, who finished with a 27-13 record after losing to Clinton Christian Academy in the first round of the MAIS overall girls basketball tournament on Feb. 23.
That loss didn’t take away from a season that saw the Rams defeat two No. 1 seeds in the 2A playoffs, including West Memphis Christian (Arkansas) in the championship game.
The season itself was a complete team effort, with Yeates leading the way on both sides of the ball, averaging 19.5 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game.
“When I told her mom and dad, I think they about jumped up and ran around the bleachers,” Thomas said. “She was overwhelmed with excitement. It was incredibly big for her, but I don’t think gets that without her teammates. They rely so heavily on each other and they’ve learned to trust each other and what they can do on the court.”
That was on full display in the semifinals as Yeates fouled out in the fourth quarter, but her teammates stepped up and close a double-digit deficit in regulation that led to an overtime victory.
Yeates made individual history and headlines just as the Rams did as a team this season.
She was the only player in Class 2A to be selected for the Futures All-Star game and in receiving Player of the Year honors, was the first girls basketball player in CCA history chosen for it.
With just two upperclassmen on the team and a large sophomore class making up the majority of the roster, Yeates needed to mature quickly as a leader, and she worked hard to make those strides.
“I would always hype my team up before games and during practices,” Yeates said. “As leaders, you should support and help your teammates. That’s what I tried to do this year. Last year, I was much more of the shy type, but I felt like I had to come out more this year. A lot of people had to step up and I think I stepped up well.”
Looking back at her season, it was one that saw her record a number of double-doubles, including an impressive 23-point, 13-rebound performance against Clinton Christian in the overall tournament.
With CCA accomplishing what it did this season, the team is in a good position to succeed next season with such a young roster, Thomas said. Having two more years with Yeates in the post will be key.
“I’m excited,” Thomas said. “We’re excited about the future of CCA basketball because we have a great team coming back. We got this for several more years.”
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