The Christ School Greenies have made their way into the NCISAA 4A semifinals against Charlotte Latin for a chance to play the winner of Durham Academy and Greensboro Day for the state title.  Using simply the record book, this Christ School team has had its share of ups and downs, finishing the regular season and conference tournament with a record of 13-13, but a closer look at the context surrounding that record shows why this team is as dangerous as anybody as we get into crunch time on the 2018-19 season.

A Roster In Flux''

This Christ School team has dealt with a variety of circumstances surrounding their roster due to injuries and a multitude of other things, prohibiting certain players from playing in Varsity Basketball Games.  These scenarios have allowed different players to step up, play in big games against some of the top teams in the country, and get their feet wet in high pressure situations, hardening them for a potential playoff run down the road.  Guys like 5’10 Roanoke Commit Kojack Thompson, 6’4 2019 Trey Austin 6’6 DeAnte Green, and 6’1 2019 Brad Halvorsen have been steady in their presence with this Christ School team, and due to a variety of injuries to guys like 6’4 2020 Norance Berry and 6’10 2020 Justice Ajogbor, these guys have been thrust into primary roles, there were ups and downs, but ultimately this team prevailed through the adversity and are now much stronger because of it.

Anytime and Anywhere

This Christ School team has played an extremely difficult schedule outside of their regular league play.  They went up against IMG Academy and were absolutely throttled by one of the top teams in the nation 94-55.  This early season adversity toughened this group, with Ajogbor still out and Berry fresh off an elongated absence, this team fought until the very end, and 7’0 2021 Gabe Wiznitzer showed flashes of what he’s capable of, having stretches of brilliance against one of the nations top teams.  These difficult matchups have allowed this group to grow closer together through adversity, making them stronger for the playoff run that they’re currently on.

Starting to Come Together

Last season Christ School made it to the exact spot they’re in this weekend, they lost a hard fought semi-final game against eventual State Champion Greensboro Day.  Their core group of Norance Berry, Brad Halvorsen, Kojack Thompson, Gabe Wiznitzer, Justice Ajogbor, and Trey Austin has really come together in recent weeks, winning their last five games, including an upset over NCISAA 4A favorite Charlotte Christian, who was 27-1 heading into their matchup.  This season their roster doesn’t have the flash of a big name guy like they did last year with Jalen Lecque, what this group does have is a brotherhood that has seen heartbreak, frustration, and eventually triumph.  This group is hard to not root for, and I’m sure regardless of the results in Raleigh this weekend, they leave everything they have out on the floor.