Zymicah Wilkins picked up his second foul with 56.3 seconds remaining in the first quarter of Saturday’s T.J. Warren bracket final of the John Wall Holiday Invitational.
Wilkins, an N.C. State recruit, and his Christ School (Arden) teammates still made a solid impression on the crowd in Broughton’s Holliday Gymnasium, where the Greenies defeated Grace Christian of Raleigh, 67-31, to claim the school’s second Invitational title in six appearances.
Christ School, the reigning N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 4A state champion, improved to 12-0 with the win. The Greenies led 15-7 when Wilkins exited with two fouls, 17-7 after one quarter, and 23-12 when Wilkins returned at the second quarter’s 5:32 mark. Koen Booker, a 6-6 sophomore, stepped in for Wilkins, contributed to his team’s net positive scoring impact during Wilkins’ respite, and finished with seven points and five rebounds.
“We’ve been pushing, and kind of asking guys to step up when opportunities present themselves, and he did,” Christ School coach Josh Coley said of Booker. There, too, was all-tournament team member Madden Collins (an American University signee), who converted 6 of 8 field goals among his 14 points to go with four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.