Greenfield wins 5th state championship
Knights edge Northwood Temple for NCISAA 1-A crown
By Paul Durham paul@wilsontimes.com | 265-7808 | Twitter: @PDsports
Two of Greenfield School’s previous four North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A boys basketball championships were repeats. The Knights won back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001 and again in 2005 and 2006.
With only one senior, Bryson Baker, from this year’s team that won the program’s fifth state title with a 68-67 victory Saturday at North Raleigh Christian Academy, Greenfield can reasonably hope to “three-peat repeat” in 2020.
“We haven’t talked about it,” Knights head coach Rob Salter said Sunday in a telephone conversation. “We’ve got a lot of talent coming back and of course it’s going to be exciting.”
But, as Salter warned, “There’ll be no surprises next year though.”
Indeed, with the graduation last spring of Coby White and Elijah McCadden and 63 percent of Greenfield’s scoring moving on to the collegiate level, the cupboard may have seemed bare for the Knights. But three sophomores and Baker were coming back and some new faces, notably juniors Collin Guilford, Creighton Lebo and Jordan Lynch, were coming in. While Salter was encouraged with the depth and athleticism, he admitted, “In August, I was, like, we’ve got a long way to go.”
But the players quickly formed an attachment to one another through the common goal that was ultimately realized Saturday.
“They really bought into each other. They bought into our goal and they just worked for it,” he said. “It was intense in practices with our depth and they got on each other at times. … Just to watch them mature and come together was special.”
TURNING POINT
That coming together took time, however. The Knights lost their second game, a 53-51 decision at 4-A Ravenscroft, and, after five straight wins, were waylaid by Raleigh Athens Drive of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4-A ranks, 82-61, with juniors Trey Pittman, Jacari Outlaw and Guilford out with injuries.
The Knights were dominated by Fayetteville Academy, the eventual NCISAA 2-A champion, in the championship game of the of the Greenfield Christmas Tournament and, in the next game, blew a double-digit lead in an ugly 72-59 loss to Knightdale in the South Granville Christmas Tournament.
“I’m a firm believer there’s always a turning point in the season,” said Salter, citing that loss as the fulcrum on which the Knights’ season balanced.
The Greenfield players realized what their coach had been telling them, that selfish play and bad decisions were not going to take them very far.
“If you make the right decision with the ball, the ball normally goes in,” Salter said he told his team.
That was Greenfield’s last loss and, 23 wins later, the Knights were state champions.
THEY ARE FAMILY
When Salter started coaching the junior varsity boys basketball team at Greenfield as a Barton College undergraduate in the fall of 1997, he had no idea of what he was starting.
Two years later, Salter took over the Knights varsity job and two years after that, he won his first state title.
Nineteen years, 520 wins and five state championships later, Salter has more than just a successful program — he has a family of former players and coaches. Several of them — Errol Frails, Isaiah White, Travis Johnson, Will Cobb, Chris Tripp, Doreion Suggs, Cedric Kirby, Jake Taylor and Luke Taylor, to name a few — were on hand Saturday at North Raleigh Christian Academy to cheer the Knights.
“It was just great to have the guys back and that’s just what makes it special,” Salter said. “The Greenfield family was alive and strong this weekend and the support they brought was awesome. … When we won, those guys were just as excited as if they won. All that support from my players means the world to me.”
CHAMPIONSHIP RUNBACK
Saturday was Greenfield’s 10th appearance in a state championship game. Previously, the Knights won titles in 2000, 2001, 2005 and 2006 while finishing second in 2003, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2018.
In every championship year except its first in 2000, Greenfield was the top seed in the NCISAA 1-A playoffs. In 2000, the Knights were seeded second and spilled No. 1 Raleigh Word of God in the championship game at Methodist College in Greensboro.
The next three championships had the top-seeded Knights beating the No. 2 seed in the final — 91-70 over Gaston Day at Guilford College in Greensboro in 2001; 71-67 over Charlotte Victory Christian at Providence Day in Charlotte in 2004 and 69-64 over Statesville Christian at Greensboro Day in 2006.
Northwood Temple, making its first appearance in the state championship game, was the No. 3 seed.
TEMPLE REBUILD
However, it might not be long for Northwood Temple to get back to the 1-A final four, if not the championship game.
While they are losing seniors Josh Nickelberry (who has signed with the University of Louisville), Charles Page and Brandon Franklin, the Eagles will have junior guard Jamahri Harvey, junior forward Travon Jackson and promising sophomore point guard Emmanuel Sepulveda back.
They will also have head coach James Strong back for a second year. Strong came to Northwood Temple after reviving Fayetteville Academy, which won the NCISAA 2-A championship Saturday, in his three seasons there.
“We’ve got some young kids,” Strong said. “I expect to be back here next year. Me and Rob will be back at it next year. I’ve got some young kids and they’re excited about coming back.”
LOTS OF WHISTLING GOING ON
Fouls were plentiful in Saturday’s final with both teams reaching the double bonus in the second half. Greenfield junior Dji Bailey and Northwood Temple’s Harvey both fouled out and the teams combined for 40 free throws — 22 for the Eagles and 18 for the Knights.
While neither head coach complained about the fouls, both hinted at the impact of them on their respective teams.
“We were fouling some but I thought they bailed them out a little bit, but I felt we had to try to stop Nickelberry from getting in the lane,” Salter said.
Instead, Nickelberry went to the line, where he was 8 of 11.
Northwood Temple’s Strong said: “Calls went both ways and I thought the refs did a wonderful job but, as a coach, I wish it would go my way, but it didn’t.”
One of the biggest calls that didn’t go the Eagles’ way was a charging call on Harvey in the final seconds and Northwood Temple trailing 68-67. Greenfield junior Trey Pittman’s willingness to draw the charge proved to be a game-changer.
“What a great charge (taken) by Trey there at the end,” Salter said. “I think it’s the first charge of his career! He had several opportunities in the first half and, at halftime, I told him, ‘Trey, if you’re ever going to take a charge in your life, this is the time to do it.’”
NEARLY A CPIC DOUBLE
Knights junior Jacari Outlaw, with his championship medal around his neck, was ready to switch to being a fan after the NCISAA 1-A boys final was done. Outlaw’s older brother, Javon, is a senior guard for the Wayne Country Day School team that was playing in the 2-A championship game later Saturday at North Raleigh Christian.
“Oh, yeah!” grinned Jacari. “I hope they win!”
Unfortunately, the Outlaw family did not get to celebrate twin championships as the unseeded Chargers fell 64-45 to top-seeded Fayetteville Academy.
Still, it was a remarkable season for Wayne Country Day, which finished second behind Greenfield in the 1-A/2-A Coastal Plain Independents Conference. Led by Wilson native David Flowers, the former head coach at Community Christian and assistant coach at Greenfield, the Chargers upset No. 2 Davidson Day and No. 3 Fayetteville Freedom Christian to reach the final.
Wayne Country Day finished 20-12.
Knights edge Northwood Temple for NCISAA 1-A crown
By Paul Durham paul@wilsontimes.com | 265-7808 | Twitter: @PDsports
Two of Greenfield School’s previous four North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A boys basketball championships were repeats. The Knights won back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001 and again in 2005 and 2006.
With only one senior, Bryson Baker, from this year’s team that won the program’s fifth state title with a 68-67 victory Saturday at North Raleigh Christian Academy, Greenfield can reasonably hope to “three-peat repeat” in 2020.
“We haven’t talked about it,” Knights head coach Rob Salter said Sunday in a telephone conversation. “We’ve got a lot of talent coming back and of course it’s going to be exciting.”
But, as Salter warned, “There’ll be no surprises next year though.”
Indeed, with the graduation last spring of Coby White and Elijah McCadden and 63 percent of Greenfield’s scoring moving on to the collegiate level, the cupboard may have seemed bare for the Knights. But three sophomores and Baker were coming back and some new faces, notably juniors Collin Guilford, Creighton Lebo and Jordan Lynch, were coming in. While Salter was encouraged with the depth and athleticism, he admitted, “In August, I was, like, we’ve got a long way to go.”
But the players quickly formed an attachment to one another through the common goal that was ultimately realized Saturday.
“They really bought into each other. They bought into our goal and they just worked for it,” he said. “It was intense in practices with our depth and they got on each other at times. … Just to watch them mature and come together was special.”
TURNING POINT
That coming together took time, however. The Knights lost their second game, a 53-51 decision at 4-A Ravenscroft, and, after five straight wins, were waylaid by Raleigh Athens Drive of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4-A ranks, 82-61, with juniors Trey Pittman, Jacari Outlaw and Guilford out with injuries.
The Knights were dominated by Fayetteville Academy, the eventual NCISAA 2-A champion, in the championship game of the of the Greenfield Christmas Tournament and, in the next game, blew a double-digit lead in an ugly 72-59 loss to Knightdale in the South Granville Christmas Tournament.
“I’m a firm believer there’s always a turning point in the season,” said Salter, citing that loss as the fulcrum on which the Knights’ season balanced.
The Greenfield players realized what their coach had been telling them, that selfish play and bad decisions were not going to take them very far.
“If you make the right decision with the ball, the ball normally goes in,” Salter said he told his team.
That was Greenfield’s last loss and, 23 wins later, the Knights were state champions.
THEY ARE FAMILY
When Salter started coaching the junior varsity boys basketball team at Greenfield as a Barton College undergraduate in the fall of 1997, he had no idea of what he was starting.
Two years later, Salter took over the Knights varsity job and two years after that, he won his first state title.
Nineteen years, 520 wins and five state championships later, Salter has more than just a successful program — he has a family of former players and coaches. Several of them — Errol Frails, Isaiah White, Travis Johnson, Will Cobb, Chris Tripp, Doreion Suggs, Cedric Kirby, Jake Taylor and Luke Taylor, to name a few — were on hand Saturday at North Raleigh Christian Academy to cheer the Knights.
“It was just great to have the guys back and that’s just what makes it special,” Salter said. “The Greenfield family was alive and strong this weekend and the support they brought was awesome. … When we won, those guys were just as excited as if they won. All that support from my players means the world to me.”
CHAMPIONSHIP RUNBACK
Saturday was Greenfield’s 10th appearance in a state championship game. Previously, the Knights won titles in 2000, 2001, 2005 and 2006 while finishing second in 2003, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2018.
In every championship year except its first in 2000, Greenfield was the top seed in the NCISAA 1-A playoffs. In 2000, the Knights were seeded second and spilled No. 1 Raleigh Word of God in the championship game at Methodist College in Greensboro.
The next three championships had the top-seeded Knights beating the No. 2 seed in the final — 91-70 over Gaston Day at Guilford College in Greensboro in 2001; 71-67 over Charlotte Victory Christian at Providence Day in Charlotte in 2004 and 69-64 over Statesville Christian at Greensboro Day in 2006.
Northwood Temple, making its first appearance in the state championship game, was the No. 3 seed.
TEMPLE REBUILD
However, it might not be long for Northwood Temple to get back to the 1-A final four, if not the championship game.
While they are losing seniors Josh Nickelberry (who has signed with the University of Louisville), Charles Page and Brandon Franklin, the Eagles will have junior guard Jamahri Harvey, junior forward Travon Jackson and promising sophomore point guard Emmanuel Sepulveda back.
They will also have head coach James Strong back for a second year. Strong came to Northwood Temple after reviving Fayetteville Academy, which won the NCISAA 2-A championship Saturday, in his three seasons there.
“We’ve got some young kids,” Strong said. “I expect to be back here next year. Me and Rob will be back at it next year. I’ve got some young kids and they’re excited about coming back.”
LOTS OF WHISTLING GOING ON
Fouls were plentiful in Saturday’s final with both teams reaching the double bonus in the second half. Greenfield junior Dji Bailey and Northwood Temple’s Harvey both fouled out and the teams combined for 40 free throws — 22 for the Eagles and 18 for the Knights.
While neither head coach complained about the fouls, both hinted at the impact of them on their respective teams.
“We were fouling some but I thought they bailed them out a little bit, but I felt we had to try to stop Nickelberry from getting in the lane,” Salter said.
Instead, Nickelberry went to the line, where he was 8 of 11.
Northwood Temple’s Strong said: “Calls went both ways and I thought the refs did a wonderful job but, as a coach, I wish it would go my way, but it didn’t.”
One of the biggest calls that didn’t go the Eagles’ way was a charging call on Harvey in the final seconds and Northwood Temple trailing 68-67. Greenfield junior Trey Pittman’s willingness to draw the charge proved to be a game-changer.
“What a great charge (taken) by Trey there at the end,” Salter said. “I think it’s the first charge of his career! He had several opportunities in the first half and, at halftime, I told him, ‘Trey, if you’re ever going to take a charge in your life, this is the time to do it.’”
NEARLY A CPIC DOUBLE
Knights junior Jacari Outlaw, with his championship medal around his neck, was ready to switch to being a fan after the NCISAA 1-A boys final was done. Outlaw’s older brother, Javon, is a senior guard for the Wayne Country Day School team that was playing in the 2-A championship game later Saturday at North Raleigh Christian.
“Oh, yeah!” grinned Jacari. “I hope they win!”
Unfortunately, the Outlaw family did not get to celebrate twin championships as the unseeded Chargers fell 64-45 to top-seeded Fayetteville Academy.
Still, it was a remarkable season for Wayne Country Day, which finished second behind Greenfield in the 1-A/2-A Coastal Plain Independents Conference. Led by Wilson native David Flowers, the former head coach at Community Christian and assistant coach at Greenfield, the Chargers upset No. 2 Davidson Day and No. 3 Fayetteville Freedom Christian to reach the final.
Wayne Country Day finished 20-12.
