At less than their best, but still pretty darn good.
Flu and sickness hit Christ School varsity basketball hard this week. The Greenies hit back Saturday night, storming past Gaffney (S.C.), 77-38, in the fourth and final game of the Asheville Classic showcase.
Keenan Wilkins ’24 continually found open looks for a game-high 20 points (including four 3-pointers) and was joined in double figures by three others – Madden Collins ’25 (14 points), George Mason recruit Bryson Cokley ’24 (12), and USC Upstate recruit Jamari Briggs '24 (10).
Bryson slashed right down the middle of the lane for Saturday’s first field goal, which snowballed into a 6-0 run to start the game, and 17-4 lead after the opening quarter. The Greenies (9-1) never let the Indians (3-2) get any closer than 19 points after pushing ahead, 35-10, at halftime.
“We talked a lot this week about discipline. Wednesday was when we found out we were going to be shorthanded for this game,” Christ School coach Josh Coley said.
“We kept harping on the magnitude of it and how we need guys to step up. And they did. They paid attention to the scouting report and worked really hard in practice. We didn’t have any light days, which prepared us for having a short team. Defensively, I thought they were great. We accepted the challenge and rebounded. I’m proud of them, I’m proud of the way they fought and battled.”
Other scorers for Christ School in Saturday’s game were Mason Collins ‘28 (eight points), Bruce White ’24 (six), Jozohn Price ’24 (four), Lleyton Thomas-Johnson ’24 (two), and Calvin Williams ’24 (one).
Gaffney is a 5-A school with more than 2,000 students and located about 70 miles away from Christ School. The Indians came into Saturday’s game with a three-game winning streak and were a late replacement after another team dropped out of the Asheville Classic.
The one-day event inside Mebane Field House also drew national power Combine Academy, United Faith, Collins Hill (Ga.), Lancaster (S.C.) and local schools A.C. Reynolds and Hendersonville. One of Combine’s top players is Kansas recruit Rakease Passmore, who formerly played for A.C. Reynolds.
“It was a great day. Today was good for the community, to bring a big event like this to Asheville. Bring everyone together and make it a really special day,” Coach Coley said.
“We’re really thankful for everyone that came out. It was good to have Rakease come back and give his family and supporters a chance to see him play in Asheville. And it was really good to have the local teams. Those are good teams who probably don’t get seen as much as they should, and I really respect what they do with their programs.”
Christ School has won seven games in a row and is 4-0 at home ahead of Tuesday's Christmas in the Greenie Dome game vs. Legion Collegiate (S.C.). Tip-off will be at 5:30 p.m., following the JV game.