Bigger challenges await a Christ School varsity basketball team which has played its way onto the statewide and national radar, as the latest batch of rankings indicate.
All that seriousness could wait Tuesday night.
Mebane Field House was pulsating for “Christmas in the Greenie Dome,” but in keeping with tradition, only after Jamari Briggs ’24 made a free throw for the 10th point at the 3:17 mark of the first quarter. The undefeated Greenies could then kick back, relax, and feed off their largest home crowd yet. Many of the fans were dressed in their holiday best to witness Christ School overwhelm the Greenville (S.C.) Hurricanes, 72-26.
Emanuel Richards ’23 continued to show nice touch from the perimeter with a team-high 15 points, nine of which came from 3-pointers. Keenan Wilkins ’24 added 12 points and one of his assists was a laser to Bryson Cokley ’24 (eight points) late in the first quarter. The dunk in transition was the loudest sequence of the night and gave the Greenies a 15-6 lead.
Christ School's record is now 12-0 for only the third time in the program's history.
“The energy was great tonight and it was an honor to be part of it,” Coach Josh Coley said.
“I don’t take it for granted that our boys get to be a part of it, and I don’t think they do either. Tonight was special for our seniors. You only get one, whether it’s your first game, Senior Night, or in this case, Christmas in the Greenie Dome.”
The rest of the scorers for the Greenies were: Jamari (seven points), Lleyton Thomas-Johnson ’24 (six), Anthony Robinson ’23 (six), Matthew Pethel ’23 (six), Ty Dixon ’23 (three), Diego Rojas-Bowe ’25 (three), Jo Ahart ’25 (two), T.J. Hamilton ’24 (two), and Cole Boyer ’24 (two).
Some polls came out this week that have Christ School ranked as high as first or second in North Carolina. They are No. 38 in the latest Ballislife.com Fab 50 national rankings.
“I haven’t said anything about it. It’s been business as usual,” Coach Coley said of the attention.
“But these past 18-20 months have been rewarding. We’ve seen it building and it’s a testament to what the guys do every day. They come in every day and bring it. You would think every day at practice that we’re a team fighting for our first win. I can appreciate that. I can appreciate how they’re pushing, not looking left and right. The maturity and leadership we have is great. We’ve come a long way. We still have a long ways to go, but we’re living in the moment a little bit and appreciate it.”
The next task for the Greenies is the Lemon Street Classic in Marietta, Ga. Christ School will play either Luella (Ga.) or Etowah (Ga.) on Monday at 4:30 p.m. And the boys will close out the year at the Arby’s Classic which is Dec. 27-31 in Bristol, Tenn.
“It will be a good test for us to see some different teams, as we ramp up into conference play,” Coach Coley said.
“We are a marked team and we come into this knowing that guys are going to be looking to make a name off us. We’re going to see if our defense can travel. These are obviously great opportunities and we’re honored to be a part of it.”
More photos from Tuesday's game can be viewed at this link.
JV Greenies 54, Greenville Hurricanes 22
Every win for the JV Greenies has come by double digits, a trend that continued Tuesday.
Brewer Nitcher ’25 and Calvin Williams ’24 led the way with 10 points each. Christ School (8-1) got the rest of its production from Blue Simmons ’25 (eight points), Will Sherrill ‘25 (seven), James DeYoung ‘26 (five), Buck Duggins ‘25 (four), Wells Edwards ’25 (three), Henry Chapman ‘25 (three), William Neumann ‘24 (two), and Brody Ballard ‘25 (two).
Freshman Greenies 70, Greenville Hurricanes 44
The Freshman Greenies were itching to play for only the second time this season and it showed.
The trio of Thomas Vickery ’27 (23 points), Jayden Alston ‘26 (13 points), and Drew Hykin ‘26 (12) outscored the Greenville Hurricanes by themselves. The other scorers for the Greenies (2-0) were Alonzo Garcia Nunez ‘26 (eight points), James DeYoung ‘26 (six), Owen Gillespie ‘26 (four), Eric Li ‘26 (two), and Harrison Bieschke ‘26 (two).