Finally healthy, the Acadiana Christian School basketball team engineered a huge upset when the Lions stunned Southwest Louisiana Home School on Tuesday.

Ty Olivier’s 3-pointer proved to be the winning basket in the 36-35 nailbiter.  When the two programs met last month, SWLA rolled to a 64-23 win in Lake Charles.

Noah Lanclos led the Lions with four 3-pointers and 16 points.  Jude Wilder, whose two first-quarter 3-pointers put ACS ahead 15-8, added 10 points.  Olivier chipped in nine.

“No one thought we had a chance,” ACS coach Carroll Olivier, Sr. said.  “SWLA is a well-coached, very disciplined team with four starters 6-foot-0 or taller.”

With the win, ACS improved to 5-7, 4-6 in conference.  SWLA dropped to 11-2, 7-2. 

Brandon Judice, a sophomore guard, may have only scored one point, but he changed the complexion of the game after SWLA reclaimed the lead in the fourth quarter.

“They were on the verge of going up by four points when Brandon deflected a pass out of bounds that helped us kind of reset,” Olivier said. 

“He is a savvy kid, a coach’s son, who came with a couple of steals.  He knows how to take care of the basketball.”

Judice (concussion) was one of the players who missed multiple games during the early portion of the season.  Ty Olivier returned recently from an injury he suffered towards the end of the football season.

“The season started off a little rocky,” Coach Olivier said.  “We had some tough losses while struggling to get healthy.  Now that we have everybody on board, we’re starting to find our way.”

Ridge Darden, a 5-foot-11 senior who averages 16 points per game, is a fiery vocal leader.  Lanclos (6-1, Jr.) is an excellent passer who played point guard during Olivier’s absence.  He is second on the team with 14 ppg.

Olivier is averaging 13 points per game since his return. While the junior plays point guard, he’s also physical enough to bang with the big men down low at 5-foot-10, 215 lbs.

“Ty is a leader in every sense of the word,” Coach Olivier said.  “Since he’s been back, we’ve cut our turnovers in half.   Against SWLA, we played the most clean, well-executed game yet with only six turnovers.

“We outrebounded them and broke their press, and we did it despite only having six players that night.”

Center Cameron Savoie isn’t called upon to score often, but the 5-foot-9, 240-pound senior affects the game in ways that don’t necessarily show up on the stat line.

“He’s an unconventional center,” Olivier said.  “I told him I want him to play like Ron Madison did at Westgate a few years ago, by commanding the paint, boxing out and defending the rim.”

Olivier said his team can’t afford another loss if it wants to secure a playoff bid.   Fortunately, the Lions have been performing at a high level since Ty Olivier’s return.

In his first game back, ACS dropped a 40-38 decision at Bishop Noland in Lake Charles.  Although the Lions came up short, it was a much better showing than when Bishop Noland won 61-42 in New Iberia on Nov. 8.

CHEF of Baton Rouge (14-0), Word of God (10-2) and SWLA are expected to be the frontrunners in the postseason.

“We know how we want to play,” said Olivier, whose team has won two straight games.  “We have a puncher’s chance to win it all.  I’m extremely optimistic.”