Basketball Recap: Taelin Burney's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Liberty Christian Academy over Southeastern Christian Academy

If Liberty Christian Academy was riding high fresh off their 66-37 takedown of Rocky Mount Academy on Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Heat took a hard 73-59 fall against the Southeastern Christian Academy Warriors on Thursday. While the Heat didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Warriors 14-10 in the first quarter.

Taelin Burney

Steals

12/04/25 vs Southeastern Christian Academy	3
12/02/25 @ Rocky Mount Academy	4
11/21/25 vs Wilmington Christian Academy	2

Liberty Christian Academy's loss came despite a true team effort with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Taelin Burney, who went 6-for-7 to rack up 15 points along with five boards and three steals. Burney is crushing it when it comes to steals: he's grabbed at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Jonathan Pittman, who shot 56% from the field on his way to 16 points and five rebounds.

Southeastern Christian Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ziyon Smith led the charge by almost dropping a double-double with 20 points and nine boards. Smith continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Uzziah Marlowe, who went 6-for-14 en route to 14 points in addition to seven assists and six rebounds.

Liberty Christian Academy now has a losing record of 1-2. As for Southeastern Christian Academy, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record up to 4-1.

Liberty Christian Academy didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 71-51 victory against Wake Christian Academy on the 5th. As for Southeastern Christian Academy, they will challenge New Garden Friends at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.