Basketball Dunks on Competition

In the ‘23-’24 season the St. Christopher’s Varsity Basketball team had one of the best seasons in their program’s history. They started the year off with a close 61-58 loss to Grace Christian in DC but then proceeded to win nine of their next ten. Over Christmas break, they took home the 804 Coaches For Change Community Classic title, taking down Hermitage 67-51 in the Final. On January 5, the 9-2 Saints welcomed John Marshall to Scott Gym. Last season, the Saints went to John Marshall and played a Justices team that was the top-ranked team in the nation. The Saints ended up losing big, so this year was an opportunity for revenge. While the Justices were not quite as good this year, they were still ranked thirteenth in the country coming into the matchup. Early on, John Marshall was dominating. Over halfway through the first, they led 9-0. Darius Gray ’26 hit a rare three-pointer, and that got the Saints’ offense going. As he did all season, Brandon Jennings ’24 led the way for St. Christopher’s with 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals. Stuart Cosby ’25 hit five three-pointers in big moments, swinging the momentum fully toward St. Christopher’s. After one final defensive stop at the end of the game, the buzzer rang, the students rushed the floor, and St. Christopher’s became the first Richmond team to beat John Marshall since 2019 with a final score of 53-50. In their 65-62 win over Trinity the following Tuesday, Jennings became the eighth player in school history to eclipse 1,000 career points. In their next game, they welcomed rivals Trinity to Scott Gym and beat the Titans by 23 points. The next week, they lost road games to very tough Catholic and STAB teams but then rattled off a five-game win streak. That streak was highlighted by a road blowout of Collegiate, taking down the Cougars 62-39 on their home floor. They followed that up with back-to-back losses to Benedictine and STAB before going on the road to take on Trinity for the third time. This game was much closer than the other two, and the Titans held a 51-43 lead with six minutes left in the game. From that point on, St. Christopher’s dominated. They closed the game out on a 24-2 run, highlighted by a Jennings steal and dunk, giving them a 65-53 win. To close out the regular season, they beat Episcopal and Fork Union, then beat Collegiate 72-47 on Senior Night. They ended up as the second seed in the Prep League tournament, earning a first-round bye. For the fourth time in the season, the Saints would match up with Trinity, and for the fourth time this season, they beat them. Trinity managed to keep it close, but St. Christopher’s pulled away and won 62-52 to complete the sweep. The next day, the Saints traveled to take on STAB for the Prep League championship, but they ended up falling on a last-second basket. Jennings, Sonny Bridges ’25, and Gray earned All-Prep Honors, and Coach Hammil Jones earned Prep League Coach of the Year. The Saints earned the 6th seed in the VISAA tournament, taking on 11th seeded Flint Hill in the first round. The game was close near the end, but 25 points and 5 blocks from Jennings, 23 from Bridges, and some crucial threes from Cosby pushed the Saints to victory. The next day they took to the road to Arlington to take on the 3rd seed Bishop O’Connell. In a very low scoring affair, the Saints pulled off a 44-41 upset. Bridges once again was crucial for the Saints, scoring 19 points. Jennings added 12 points alongside 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. In the state semi-finals, the Saints season ended with a defeat on the road against STAB. Their 25 wins tied the school record for a single season, and the VISAA semifinals tied the furthest they had ever made it in the tournament.