WINNSBORO, Texas — Faith Acker was one of the leaders on the court last year when the Winnsboro Lady Raiders came up short in the 3A State Championship game to Fairfield.
One year later, Acker and the Lady Raiders are powering their way through the playoffs with their eyes set on another state finals appearance. But this year, they're even hungrier than before.
"It was tough last year to lose in the finals. But we've come back and worked even harder than we did last year," Acker said. "We've put in the work, we've been sore, we've been hurting. But now it's time to go get what's ours."
Acker has been dominant all year long, and she's proven her talent even more in the playoffs. Especially in their second-round matchup against Jefferson.
Winnsboro never trailed, leading 25-0 after the first quarter. Acker finished with an eye-popping 25 points and 17 rebounds in the victory. It was yet another incredible performance for the center that has made stat lines like that routine.
"She's a dominant post player and a defensive presence. She's a tremendous rebounder, not just somebody who scores on offense, but plays defense too," said head coach Robert Cochran. "In Winnsboro, we're blessed to have a kid like Faith Acker. She's scored over 2,500 points in her career."
No matter what happens in the playoffs, Acker's career won't end there. Her impressive four years at Winnsboro has earned her a spot at the Division I level at University of Louisiana - Monroe next year.
"The reason I chose them was because they're really loyal people," Acker said. "They've come to every AAU game I played. They've come to high school games, practices. They're like a family down there."
Next up for Winnsboro is the regional semifinals at Prosper, where they'll take on Gunter. And anyone in attendance will likely be hearing the name Faith Acker quite a lot.