SWANNANOA – Not much was going right for Christ School varsity basketball in a hostile environment Thursday night.
Except the score.
The Greenies staved off Asheville Christian Academy time and time again, finally pulling away with an 11-0 run in the third quarter to win their first Carolinas Athletic Association game, 60-41.
Jamari Briggs ’24 has had a hot hand lately – he was the only Christ School player selected to the Arby’s Classic all-tournament team last week – and came through with a game-high 23 points Thursday. Bryson Cokley ’24 joined him in double figures with 16 points, followed by Keenan Wilkins ’24 (nine), Anthony Robinson ’23 (four), Matthew Pethel ’23 (four), Jo Ahart ’25 (two), and Emanuel Richards ’23 (two).
Things did not start off ideally to say the least. Anthony was whistled for two fouls in the first quarter and Emanuel had to leave the game before halftime with a bloody nose. Christ School (19-1, 1-0) still led ACA (4-12, 0-1) by a 31-26 score at the break.
“Tonight was big for us. We started off slow, but we fought through it and competed,” Greenies coach Josh Coley said.
“They stayed true to who we are from a discipline and execution standpoint, and that goes a long way. I’m proud of them. We competed, and in the second half we were able to impose our will a little bit, which is what we wanted to do.”
Christ School’s next game is Saturday at 7 p.m. versus West Virginia’s Huntington Prep (9-5). The game is part of the Queen City Extravaganza Showcase in Charlotte. Huntington Prep has a deceiving record as three of the Irish's wins are over Oak Hill (Va.), Combine Academy, and IMG Academy (Fla).
JV Greenies 46, ACA 14
There was no drama to be found in Thursday’s JV game.
Coach Jesse Breite was able to get everyone playing time in the first game for the Greenies (9-1, 1-0) since Christmas Break. Christ School’s defense limited the Lions to single digits as a team in the first and second halves.
Scorers were Brewer Nitcher ‘25 (13 points), Will Sherrill ‘25 (12), Buck Duggins ‘25 (five), James DeYoung ‘26 (four), Wells Edwards ‘25 (four), and Blue Simmons ‘25 (two).