NCISAA 4A Finals Preview: Christ School vs. Providence Day School

<!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The stage is set for this year's NCISAA 4A State Championship game as Christ School and Providence Day School will square off this Saturday at 4 PM at Ravenscroft School. Take a look at the preview for each team heading into the game.</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Christ School looking to repeat as NCISAA State Champions </h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Christ School heads into Saturday's matchup against Providence Day riding quite the momentum of an eight-game winning streak. They haven't dropped a game since suffering a loss to Covenant Day back on Jan. 20. That loss ultimately lit a fire under this group as they've won impressive since then, seeing their last two single-digit victories come in the NCISAA 4A Playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It took an all-around team effort for the Greenies in the NCISAA 4A Semifinals, but it just showed their growth as a unit as three different players finished scoring in double-figures in their victory over Covenant Day. [player_tooltip player_id='951365' first='Keenan' last='Wilkins'] (14 points), [player_tooltip player_id='1164550' first='Mikey' last='Wilkins'] (12 points), Bryson Cokely (12 points) and TJ Hamilton and [player_tooltip player_id='865287' first='Jamari' last='Briggs'] combined for 16 points as they avenged a 63-57 loss they suffered to Covenant Day with a 64-59 in the NCISAA 4A Semifinals to punch their ticket to the title game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='951365' first='Keenan' last='Wilkins'] leads the charge for the Greenies this season with 12.6 PPG, 3.3 APG, 2.0 RPG and 1.6 SPG but his cousin, [player_tooltip player_id='1164550' first='Mikey' last='Wilkins'], lurks in the frontcourt as well with 13.3 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.4 SPG and 1.0 BPG. They've been difficult for opponents to stop as evidenced by their 24-5 record and 8-0 record in NCISAA Carolinas Conference action this season. The Wilkins duo isn't the only options for teams to worry about either. USC Upstate commit [player_tooltip player_id='865287' first='Jamari' last='Briggs'] is producing 9.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG and 2.2 APG. George Mason commit [player_tooltip player_id='1076360' first='Bryson' last='Cokley'] is posting 7.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 1.8 APG. Unsigned senior [player_tooltip player_id='1496977' first='Lleyton' last='Thomas-Johnson'] is shooting 56 percent from the field while averaging 6.7 PPG. At any given moment, anybody can get hot for the Greenies, and that's what makes them difficult to go up against on the hardwood.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Providence Day looks to continue their magical season</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The No. 1 seed in the 4A bracket is no more! Providence Day School went into a hostile environment on Tuesday night at Cannon School in the NCISAA 4A Semifinals and secured quite a marquee 66-64 victory. The Chargers have had quite a tough few games leading up to their meeting with Christ School. Providence Day didn't let their recent loss to Cannon School on Feb. 6 deter the result this time around as [player_tooltip player_id='1276940' first='Jonah' last='Lawrence'] played hero in the late seconds with an acrobatic layup to secure the victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Chargers already upset Carmel Christian School 56-45 in the NCISAA Quarterfinals before defeating Cannon School on the road in the NCISAA State Playoffs. Now, Providence Day will look to continue to pull off the upsets as a No. 5 seed in this year's field when they go up against No. 3 Christ School on Saturday afternoon. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lawrence isn't the only name to keep an eye on with this group. They've also got junior wings [player_tooltip player_id='1487712' first='Trajan' last='Thompson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1336430' first='Nick' last='Hailey'], who are both a burden to deal with on the perimeter. Hailey is a lethal perimeter shooter who can get hot in a hurry when given opportunities. Thompson is an athletic slasher who's also quite the shooting threat when he finds his rhythm on the floor. Thompson posted 18 points and 10 rebounds in their victory over Carmel Christian.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both teams are well coached groups as Josh Coley leads Christ School and Ron Johnson leads Providence Day. One things for sure, things should come down to the wire once again as both teams are defensive juggernauts in the NCISAA 4A ranks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->