BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LAFAYETTE — Chambers Academy opens its basketball season with two very different storylines. On one side of the coin are the Rebels, defending AISA Class AA champions with most of its core back and more help on the way. On the other is a Lady Rebels program riding a wave of enthusiasm under new head coach Vacher Hammett.
The Lady Rebels tip off Tuesday, Nov. 3, at home against Ezekiel Academy in Hammett’s first game as head coach. The Rebels, with many of their players still on the football field, open Dec. 4 at Macon-East Academy.
Rebels look to build on momentum
Chambers went 15-6 last season and won the AA state championship, beating Jackson Academy 62-28 and Restoration Academy 47-37 at Garrett Coliseum before holding off cross-county rival Springwood School 45-41 in the final. It was the program’s second boys basketball state title and its first since 2014.
“Last year’s team really just caught fire and gained momentum there in the end,” said boys head coach Jason Allen.
Most of that team returns, and Jason Allen said four of the five players who started down the stretch return. He added that he expects a “very senior laden” group to keep leaning on the defense and rebounding that carried the Rebels through tight tournament games.
Christian Terry, who scored a team-high 12 points in the title game, returns at shooting guard. Jason Allen said the team took off last season once he moved Terry off the ball and put his brother, Braxton Terry, at point guard.
Braxton, a sophomore and the only underclassman among the returning core, also plays quarterback. Jason Allen said Braxton “is our quarterback in football, and you might as well say he’s our quarterback in basketball, too.”
Bryce Modling returns as a standout defender and rebounder, and Hunter Andrews, a former point guard, gives the Rebels a big forward who can handle the ball and shoot. Cohan McDonald, who broke his ankle in the second quarter of the title game, is also back. Jason Allen said McDonald is “always in the right place at the right time for us.” Jason Allen also expects a big contribution from Trey Tigner.
The newcomers add size and speed. Devante Nicholson is a 6-foot-5 leaper who plays above the rim, and Christian Davis is 6-3 and 220 pounds. Guard-forward hybrid Kentrell Oden transferred in from Opelika High School, and point guard Harrison Little also transferred in from Lee-Scott Academy.
With that additional depth, Jason Allen said he plans to play eight to 10 players, install a full-court press and push the pace, with the bigger newcomers protecting the rim.
“We’re going to be a lot more up and down, it’ll be a fun brand of basketball to watch,” Jason Allen said.
Terry said four Rebels can now dunk, and he likes his team’s chances of repeating.
“I think we’ve got a pretty good shot at going back to back,” Terry said. “I think the biggest part is we have to stay unselfish.”
Terry said that matters because playing time will be tighter with the Rebels rotating more people than they did last year.
However, before Chambers’ boys team takes to the hardwood, there’s football to get through. Jason Allen, who is also the school’s athletic director and head football coach, called juggling both sports the hardest thing he does. He said December is essentially practice for the Rebels and that the season really begins with area play in January.
Chambers competes in AISA AA Region 1 Area 1, with Southern Preparatory Academy, Success Unlimited Academy and Springwood. Last season, Chambers and Springwood traded lopsided wins a week apart in January before meeting in the state final.
This season, the Rebels host Springwood on Jan. 8 and travel to Lanett on Jan. 26. Allen said the goal is to win the area, which would let the Rebels skip the extra game the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds must play to reach bracket play.
“I’m excited about the pieces that we have,” Jason Allen said. “The job now is going to be putting it all together and making it work.”
Lady Rebels tip off 2026-27 season
Hammett came to Chambers Academy from Troup County High School in LaGrange, Georgia, where he led the boys team to a 22-9 record and a GHSA AAA state quarterfinal appearance last season.
This is his first time coaching high school girls, but basketball runs in his family. He trained his four daughters, three of whom played college basketball, and two won a state title on an undefeated Springwood team. He joked that they may stay neutral when Chambers plays Springwood.
Hammett said his team has a special bond and called its senior leadership the glue of the group.
“We’re going to make some noise, but we’re not going to get ahead of ourselves,” he said. “So, we’re just going to take things one game at a time.”
He wants the Lady Rebels to play fast and aggressive. Many of his players also play volleyball and other sports, and he said he expects their athleticism to be an asset when it comes to forcing turnovers.
“They want to play fast, and they know in order for us to do that, they need to play defense, and they’ve got to be disciplined,” Hammett said.
Senior guard Anna Kate Jackson, whom Hammett described as a quiet leader, shoots well from the perimeter, defends physically and will spell the team's sophomore point guard. Senior Cate Allen, Jason Allen’s daughter, brings the energy.
“When she gets on that floor, she’s everywhere,” Hammett said of Cate Allen.
Much of the team’s height comes from seventh- and eighth-graders. Jackson said she and Cate Allen will focus on keeping the younger players in line, focused and motivated.
Jackson added the coaching change has been an adjustment on both sides.
“It’s definitely been like a learning experience,” Jackson said. “He’s got to learn about us, and we’ve got to learn about him.”
She said she is also excited about the team’s depth, which allows the Lady Rebels to sub in five players at a time to stay fresh.
Hammett said his players expect to be among the top teams in AISA AA Region 2, which includes Bessemer, Evangel Christian, Fort Dale, Lowndes and Springwood. Region play begins Jan. 4 at home against Bessemer.
Hammett said he is nervous for his players. That nervousness is not himself because of some pressure to improve on last season, but because he knows his players are eager to show their abilities. He encouraged fans to come out and support them.
“They believe in themselves, and they believe in the program that we're gonna overachieve this year,” Hammett said.
The Lady Rebels host Ezekiel on Tuesday at Langley Gymnasium, with the junior varsity team playing first at 4 p.m. and the varsity game following the conclusion of that game.
