Greenfield routs St. David’s in first game of Christmas tournament
By Andrew Schnittker
aschnittker@wilsontimes.com | 252-265-7807 | Twitter: @aschnitt53
The Greenfield School boys basketball team opened its Christmas tournament in fine fashion Tuesday night, racing past St. David’s 76-32.
Matt Kirby led the Knights (10-2) with 13 points, followed by Nik Edwards with 12 and Aaron Murphy with 10. Hank Madden led the Warriors (1-10) with 11 points, followed by Riley Berkoff with 10.
“I just thought our tempo was good,” said Greenfield head coach Rob Salter. “We just wanted to focus on what we do well, consistently pushing the ball. Our guys make the right play, and I think we shot the ball better from the perimeter today because we got it down the court and got open shots. I thought we were really good defensively at times. We did what we wanted to do to get some momentum going into tomorrow.”
The Knights got their offense going early and often against the Warriors, as the team placed an emphasis on moving the ball with base, distributing it around the floor and finding the right shot.
“Our guys are unselfish and we make the right play,” Salter said. “We want it to be the easy shot when we’re in transition. Sometimes, in the half-court set, shots are contested, so I thought we focused the last couple days on pace and doing it for four quarters.”
The 3-pointer was the Knights’ friend, as the team hit 10 triples on the night.
“I think we’re a pretty good shooting team,” Salter said. “At the beginning of the year, we shot the ball well, but the last few games, we haven’t because we got away from our tempo. I think pushing the ball, getting open looks and getting our feet set helped us a lot tonight, and our boys made some shots.”
Greenfield built a commanding lead through eight minutes, taking a 24-9 edge that it would extend to 45-17 by halftime. The 3-point shooting helped the team build its big lead, with the Knights knocking down seven treys in the first half.
“It gets us going and it gives us energy,” Kirby said. “We play a whole lot better when we’re hitting shots.”
Greenfield, ranked No. 1 among North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A teams, kept its foot on the gas all night as it outscored the NCISAA 3-A Warriors in all four quarters, something that takes on added importance as a team looks to build momentum in a tournament setting.
“I just think our bench is so important to us,” Salter said. “When we go to our bench, we don’t lose much. Today, I thought they came in and got the tempo going for us in the first quarter. And then I’ve really been focused on Matt Kirby, who’s been playing really well. I want him to control the game with his speed and his quickness, and I thought he did that pushing the ball again tonight.”
The Knights will now face Crossroads Christian of Henderson in Wednesday night’s second semifinal game at 7:30 p.m. The Colts come into the game at 8-3 following a 55-33 win over Richmond Christian Tuesday, and Salter knows they’ll present a challenge.
“They push the ball too,” Salter said. “So we’ve just got to get back in transition. They like to run. They hit the glass hard. So we’ve got to rebound. It’s going to be a good game.”
ST. DAVID’S (32)
Madden 11, Berkoff 10, Hauser 7, Chisley 4, Nelson 2.
GREENFIELD (76)
Kirby 13, N. Edwards 12, Murphy 10, K. Edwards 7, Blake 7, Atkinson 6, Alston 6, Sherrod 5, Evans 3, Peten 3, Godwin 3.
Score by quarters:
SD 9 8 7 8 — 32
G 24 21 16 15 — 76
By Andrew Schnittker
aschnittker@wilsontimes.com | 252-265-7807 | Twitter: @aschnitt53
The Greenfield School boys basketball team opened its Christmas tournament in fine fashion Tuesday night, racing past St. David’s 76-32.
Matt Kirby led the Knights (10-2) with 13 points, followed by Nik Edwards with 12 and Aaron Murphy with 10. Hank Madden led the Warriors (1-10) with 11 points, followed by Riley Berkoff with 10.
“I just thought our tempo was good,” said Greenfield head coach Rob Salter. “We just wanted to focus on what we do well, consistently pushing the ball. Our guys make the right play, and I think we shot the ball better from the perimeter today because we got it down the court and got open shots. I thought we were really good defensively at times. We did what we wanted to do to get some momentum going into tomorrow.”
The Knights got their offense going early and often against the Warriors, as the team placed an emphasis on moving the ball with base, distributing it around the floor and finding the right shot.
“Our guys are unselfish and we make the right play,” Salter said. “We want it to be the easy shot when we’re in transition. Sometimes, in the half-court set, shots are contested, so I thought we focused the last couple days on pace and doing it for four quarters.”
The 3-pointer was the Knights’ friend, as the team hit 10 triples on the night.
“I think we’re a pretty good shooting team,” Salter said. “At the beginning of the year, we shot the ball well, but the last few games, we haven’t because we got away from our tempo. I think pushing the ball, getting open looks and getting our feet set helped us a lot tonight, and our boys made some shots.”
Greenfield built a commanding lead through eight minutes, taking a 24-9 edge that it would extend to 45-17 by halftime. The 3-point shooting helped the team build its big lead, with the Knights knocking down seven treys in the first half.
“It gets us going and it gives us energy,” Kirby said. “We play a whole lot better when we’re hitting shots.”
Greenfield, ranked No. 1 among North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A teams, kept its foot on the gas all night as it outscored the NCISAA 3-A Warriors in all four quarters, something that takes on added importance as a team looks to build momentum in a tournament setting.
“I just think our bench is so important to us,” Salter said. “When we go to our bench, we don’t lose much. Today, I thought they came in and got the tempo going for us in the first quarter. And then I’ve really been focused on Matt Kirby, who’s been playing really well. I want him to control the game with his speed and his quickness, and I thought he did that pushing the ball again tonight.”
The Knights will now face Crossroads Christian of Henderson in Wednesday night’s second semifinal game at 7:30 p.m. The Colts come into the game at 8-3 following a 55-33 win over Richmond Christian Tuesday, and Salter knows they’ll present a challenge.
“They push the ball too,” Salter said. “So we’ve just got to get back in transition. They like to run. They hit the glass hard. So we’ve got to rebound. It’s going to be a good game.”
ST. DAVID’S (32)
Madden 11, Berkoff 10, Hauser 7, Chisley 4, Nelson 2.
GREENFIELD (76)
Kirby 13, N. Edwards 12, Murphy 10, K. Edwards 7, Blake 7, Atkinson 6, Alston 6, Sherrod 5, Evans 3, Peten 3, Godwin 3.
Score by quarters:
SD 9 8 7 8 — 32
G 24 21 16 15 — 76
