Much like opening presents on Christmas morning, the buildup makes the payoff worth it.
Tuesday was quite a spectacle. Christ School’s student section came dressed in all kinds of holiday outfits, ranging from reserved to tacky as possible. The cast of inflatable characters set up by Director of Student Engagement Jim Goodrum P’29 was as impressive as ever.
Atmosphere is one thing; the crowd etiquette is another when it’s Christmas in the Greenie Dome aka the Silent Night game.
To their credit, the boys stayed quiet for an excruciating 5 minutes and 49 seconds until Dacen Petty ’26 knocked down a 3-pointer from the right shoulder. The ninth, 10th, and 11th points of the game meant everyone could go back to cheering normally and the Greenies gave them plenty to cheer about, dispatching Charlotte's Parris Prep Academy, 67-47.
Four seniors – Tyler Jones ’26 (13), Dacen (11), Kinston Whitty ’26 (11), and William Robinson ’26 (nine) – led the way in the 30th consecutive home win for Christ School (7-2), a streak that goes all the way back to the 2022-23 season.
The Greenies were in front 17-7 after the first quarter and the lead never shrank below double-digits after that.
“The charge today was to see how we would come back and fight after two difficult losses (in last weekend’s Marshall County (Ky.) Hoopfest),” Christ School coach Erasto Hatchett said.
“How would we bounce back? Who are we? I was proud of all the boys, I thought they did the best they possibly could, it was an overall good game. We use every game to build, whether we’re supposed to dominate or not, and I though we found some things tonight that will make us better for the next game. We just want to use these opportunities to continue to grow and build.”
The rest of the scorers were: Skyler Ellis ‘27 (seven points), Hudson Hatch ‘28 (five), Micah Goodlow ‘28 (four), Koen Booker ‘27 (two), Jeremy Horton ‘26 (two), and Trevor Manhertz ‘27 (two).
Trevor and Dylan Twitty started in the season opener (November 7 at home against Fayetteville Academy) but have been nursing injuries since then that left the Greenies with only eight healthy players for their first foray into the Nike EYBL Scholastic Conference. The team fought hard Saturday and Sunday but ultimately ran out of gas in losses to Utah Prep and Veritas Academy (Calif.).