In first TAPPS season, Decatur Victory Christian boys basketball falls in state title game

The Decatur Victory Christian Academy Patriots, in their initial season in TAPPS boys basketball, advanced all the way to the state title game, falling to the Galveston O’Connell Buccaneers, 49-35, in the TAPPS Boys basketball 2A state final at Robinson High School.

Galveston O’Connell knocked down a trio of three-point baskets to open the game that left Victory Christian with a 9-0 deficit very early, and the Patriots never recovered.

Brennen Ables and Caiden Shetter each tallied eight points to pace Victory Christian, while Jaylen Donald added seven and Layton Huddleston contributed four.

After playing the last nine years in TCAF, where it was a state semifinalist in 2024, Victory Christian enjoyed a remarkable run in TAPPS this season.

Victory Christian ousted Dallas First Baptist, 60-50 in the semifinal, to advance to the title contest.

“I am so proud of what this team accomplished this season,” said Victory Christian Head Coach Nathan Geiger. “Our first year in TAPPS to make it all the way to the championship game is amazing. The kids represented the community, the school and their families so very well.”

Coach Geiger said O’Connell’s athleticism was just phenomenal. “That really affected our play offensively as well,” said Geiger. “Give O’Connell credit. They have a lot of guys that are so talented. We knew coming in that we needed to play a perfect game to have a chance.”

Victory Christian (28-6), No. 7 in the final TABC TAPPS 2A rankings, had seniors Layton Huddleston, Brennen Ables and Caiden Shetter selected to the all-tournament team.

Second-ranked Galveston O’Connell (33-5) was led by senior Roderick Dozier, who pumped in a game-high 18 points, including five three-pointers. Junior Kevon Lankford-Cunningham added 10 as O’Connell was making its third overall Final Four appearance, all in the last four years, and won its first TAPPS state crown.