The best high school boys basketball team in Fayetteville? New Life Christian makes its case
Rodd Baxley
The Fayetteville Observer
Monarchs is a fitting moniker for New Life Christian Academy boys basketball.
With an 84-79 win against Seventy-First at the third annual MLK Dream Jam showcase on Monday, the Monarchs strengthened their case as the kings of the court in Fayetteville.
In a matchup that featured the squads with the best resumes in the city, New Life (22-9) and Seventy-First (14-2) lived up to the hype with a back-and-forth battle in the top game at Terry Sanford’s two-day event.
Both teams earned trophies at the Cumberland County Holiday Classic and the Falcons rode a 12-game winning streak into Monday’s matchup.
But the Monarchs have the most victories, including wins against Seventy-First and E.E. Smith (11-3) – another Fayetteville team in contention for a conference championship.
“We proved that we can hoop with anybody. We can hoop with anybody, especially in the city,” said senior guard Malachi Travis, who had 14 points against the Falcons.
“I think we’re the top school in Fayetteville and I stand by that.”
Overall, Cumberland County’s public schools had a 6-3 advantage in the showcase to earn bragging rights over private schools for the second year in a row. But the boys split six games Monday.
After earning a 61-44 win against New Life Christian last season in the Holiday Classic, Seventy-First ended the season with a state championship appearance as Fayetteville’s top program.
New Life coach Aaron Parker has respect for the Falcons and what they’ve accomplished, but he wanted his team to embrace the opportunity that Monday presented. The Monarchs didn’t let him down, particularly senior wing Jakwon Moore, who scored 29 points for the event’s top performance.
New Life Christian's Jakwon Moore (11) had 29 points in the top performance at the MLK Dream Jam showcase.
“We had to come in and get the job done,” Moore said. “They said we’re the best in Fayetteville if we win that game, so we’re the best, for sure.”
As a member of the Carolina Athletic Association for Schools of Choice, New Life has the benefit of playing a college-like schedule. Winston-Salem Christian, Quality Education Academy and Piedmont Classical are among the other CAASC programs.
“We do have rules – I know people think we don’t. … The main difference that I see is the number of games and who we’re allowed to play,” Parker said.
“Other than that, we have the age limits, we have conference and state championships. We have grade requirements, all of that.”
In addition to high-profile teams in North Carolina, the Monarchs have traveled to Georgia, Maryland and Virginia this season.
“One of the biggest advantages is we can play whoever we want, whenever we want, wherever we want,” Parker said. “We’ve played 30 games and it’s January. We’ll probably end up playing close to 40-45 games. We play public, private, it doesn’t matter.”
And New Life’s goals go beyond challenging for the top spot in Fayetteville. With six players averaging double figures, the Monarchs could challenge for their first CAASC state championship since 2018.
“I still don’t feel like we’re playing our best basketball right now, and that’s the scary part for a lot of schools we may see in the future,” Parker said.
“We’re not gelling yet like we should be … but we’ll get there.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
Rodd Baxley
The Fayetteville Observer
Monarchs is a fitting moniker for New Life Christian Academy boys basketball.
With an 84-79 win against Seventy-First at the third annual MLK Dream Jam showcase on Monday, the Monarchs strengthened their case as the kings of the court in Fayetteville.
In a matchup that featured the squads with the best resumes in the city, New Life (22-9) and Seventy-First (14-2) lived up to the hype with a back-and-forth battle in the top game at Terry Sanford’s two-day event.
Both teams earned trophies at the Cumberland County Holiday Classic and the Falcons rode a 12-game winning streak into Monday’s matchup.
But the Monarchs have the most victories, including wins against Seventy-First and E.E. Smith (11-3) – another Fayetteville team in contention for a conference championship.
“We proved that we can hoop with anybody. We can hoop with anybody, especially in the city,” said senior guard Malachi Travis, who had 14 points against the Falcons.
“I think we’re the top school in Fayetteville and I stand by that.”
Overall, Cumberland County’s public schools had a 6-3 advantage in the showcase to earn bragging rights over private schools for the second year in a row. But the boys split six games Monday.
After earning a 61-44 win against New Life Christian last season in the Holiday Classic, Seventy-First ended the season with a state championship appearance as Fayetteville’s top program.
New Life coach Aaron Parker has respect for the Falcons and what they’ve accomplished, but he wanted his team to embrace the opportunity that Monday presented. The Monarchs didn’t let him down, particularly senior wing Jakwon Moore, who scored 29 points for the event’s top performance.
New Life Christian's Jakwon Moore (11) had 29 points in the top performance at the MLK Dream Jam showcase.
“We had to come in and get the job done,” Moore said. “They said we’re the best in Fayetteville if we win that game, so we’re the best, for sure.”
As a member of the Carolina Athletic Association for Schools of Choice, New Life has the benefit of playing a college-like schedule. Winston-Salem Christian, Quality Education Academy and Piedmont Classical are among the other CAASC programs.
“We do have rules – I know people think we don’t. … The main difference that I see is the number of games and who we’re allowed to play,” Parker said.
“Other than that, we have the age limits, we have conference and state championships. We have grade requirements, all of that.”
In addition to high-profile teams in North Carolina, the Monarchs have traveled to Georgia, Maryland and Virginia this season.
“One of the biggest advantages is we can play whoever we want, whenever we want, wherever we want,” Parker said. “We’ve played 30 games and it’s January. We’ll probably end up playing close to 40-45 games. We play public, private, it doesn’t matter.”
And New Life’s goals go beyond challenging for the top spot in Fayetteville. With six players averaging double figures, the Monarchs could challenge for their first CAASC state championship since 2018.
“I still don’t feel like we’re playing our best basketball right now, and that’s the scary part for a lot of schools we may see in the future,” Parker said.
“We’re not gelling yet like we should be … but we’ll get there.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.