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Christ School coach Josh Coley uses the adjective “spirited” a lot these days.
He wasn’t sure how much energy his basketball team would have left for Wednesday’s Christmas in the Greenie Dome after a "spirited" round of conditioning the day before. And the intensity levels were where they needed to be Saturday after a "spirited" walkthrough for Davidson Day.
Spirited, along with tenacious and unselfish are three words that come to mind after an 83-63 win that was not as close as the final score. Every player on the roster scored, and the undefeated Greenies (10-0) made a dozen 3-pointers as a team.
The points came from American recruit Madden Collins ‘25 (22), Dacen Petty ‘26 (17, including five 3s), N.C. State recruit Mikey Wilkins ‘25 (10), Mason Collins ‘28 (eight), Newberry recruit Jo Ahart ‘25 (six), William Robinson ‘26 (five), Tyler Jones ‘26 (five), Jeremy Horton ‘26 (three), Koen Booker ’27 (two), Jimmy Jones ‘25 (two), Henry Chapman '25 (two), and Thomas Vickery ‘27 (one).
Christ School led 21-9 after the first quarter, went on a 10-0 run in the second, and the Patriots (9-8) fell farther behind after an injury to North Carolina recruit Isaiah Denis. The second-half lead approached 40 points and a possible running clock before the Greenies cleared their bench. Davidson Day is the defending NCISAA 2- A state champion and was coming off a 14-point win over Charlotte Providence Day, the team that Christ School played in last winter’s 4-A state finals.
“We have been harping on the scouting report – challenging them, holding them accountable, doing everything you can imagine to get them ready for it – but they were already ready,” Coach Coley said.
“We had a walkthrough this morning and that was a spirited walkthrough this morning. They were ready to go, they couldn’t stay out of the gym. We kept saying, ‘stay off your feet.’ You look up, and someone else was in there shooting. They were ready, they were prepared, and they played well. They played for each other and they were tough, and that can go a long way for us.”
Some numbers to consider after Saturday. The Davidson Day win is the 19th in a row for Christ School (dating back to last January), which rose to No. 16 in this week’s MaxPreps national rankings. Coach Coley has won 83 games since coming here four years ago.
"(Today) was good, and to have it at home was good," Coach Coley said.
"We've been road warriors, playing all over the place. But to play that kind of game against that kind of team with really good players here at home is special. Now we give our guys a chance to go on break on a high note, having finished the first quarter of the season."