Jamari Briggs ’24 still had plenty of bounce in his step as he looked for family and friends after Saturday night’s game in the Greenie Dome.
“It was amazing. We came into this game locked-in,” Jamari said.
“The practices leading up to this game were intense. We knew we were ready.”
As Jamari said, Christ School players and coaches could sense that something had been building all week. They shared the secret with everyone else in the NCISAA 4-A state quarterfinals, soundly defeating Charlotte Country Day, 85-59.
Jamari was one point behind Emanuel Richards ’23 (21 points) with 20, Keenan Wilkins ’24 had 23 of his game-high 27 by halftime, and Anthony Robinson '23 made it four Greenies in double figures with 10 points.
The team points total matches Christ School’s high for the season, a season which will continue Tuesday at home in the state semifinals for the second-seeded Greenies (29-4) against No. 6 Ravenscroft (25-6). The game time has been set for 6 p.m.
“I think that was the best game we’ve played all year. And at the right time,” Christ School coach Josh Coley said.
“We had a good, balanced week of practice. Our staff did a tremendous job of keeping the boys locked-in. We’ve talked about being 3-0 (in the state playoffs) and it went a long way tonight. They were locked-in. I’m proud of them. Every guy who came in tonight knew their job and what they had to do.”
Saturday’s game was called tightly – the Greenies were whistled for 22 fouls, which made a 46-29 halftime lead feel more tenuous than it should have been. Sure enough, Bryson Cokley ’24 fouled out at the 5:25 mark of the third quarter and Christ School had to make due without a key piece of its backcourt.
Jamari (12) and Emanuel (11) combined for 23 of their points in the third and fourth quarters. A one-handed flush in transition by Jamari and an alley-oop from T.J. Hamilton ’24 to Anthony sent shockwaves through the Greenie student section.
T.J. (five points) and Bryson (two) were the two remaining scorers for Christ School.
Ravenscroft will be making the long drive from Raleigh on Tuesday after upsetting third-seeded Cannon School, 71-64, on the road Saturday.
