Boys 

    Greenbrier – Cyrus Wilder 7 3-4 19, Hampton Goff 2 5-6 9, Jackson Jennings 1 0-0 2,  Andrew Black 5 0-0 13, Kai-Aire Rhodes 2 0-0 5, Davin Driskell 2 0-0 4, Khaleel Pratt 4 3-4 11, Sean Edewor 0 1-2 1, Levi Wahl 1 0-0 2. Totals: 24 12-16 65.

    Augusta Christian – Johnny O’keefe 4 4-6 14, Tray Moseley 2 4-4 10, Elijah Crawford 7 8-10 22, Cam Slade 1 0-0 3, Luke Wilson 3 3-3 9, Zachary Blackwell 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 19-23 60.

Three- point goals – Greenbrier: 6 (Wilder 2, Black 3, Rhodes). Augusta Christian: 5 (O’keefe 2, Moseley 2, Slade).

Winner of three of its past four games, Greenbrier improved to 3-5 overall with a 65-60 win at home over Augusta Christian Saturday. The Wolfpack also won Friday night, topping region foe Apalachee 59-40. Like he did in Saturday’s win (see box score above) over Augusta Christian, Cyrus Wilder led the Wolfpack in scoring Friday with 14 points. Greenbrier sports a 2-1 region record heading into the holidays.

Saturday was our first time seeing Greenbrier in person since the opening game of the season. So we took the opportunity after the game to ask second year coach Dee Howard a couple questions.

Q&A with Greenbrier Head Coach Dee Howard

Q: I bet it feels good to be able to play games. With so many teams having to cancel games and sit out of playing right now, how do you and the players feel about being able to take the court twice this weekend, and to get two wins on top of that?

A: It definitely feels good to be playing! With everything that’s been happening so far this season, the opportunity to lace ‘em up and get after it against good competition, and to safely do so, is a blessing. 

To go into the break with 2 good wins always feels good and it gives you some momentum coming out for the 2nd half of the season.

Q: The other question I have is about Cyrus Wilder. Tell us about his ability to catch fire offensively and some of the ways he’s helped the team by doing that. Or by doing other things well, if you prefer to talk about his other qualities.

A: Cyrus has the ability to get into the teeth of the defense because of his quick 1st step. He’s also improved a good deal with his shot selection and creating shots for his teammates.

He’s effecting the game with passing and limited his turnovers!

Girls 

    Greenbrier – Trinity Barrow 3 0-0 6, Lauryn Sharper 1 0-0 2, La’Miya Blake 2 2-4 6, Brooklyn Begley 1 0-0 3, Ayana Staley 1 0-0 2, Caitlin Staley 8 1-1 17, Dabria Staley 2 2-2 6, Morgan McMurray 0 2-2 2, Jah’Laila Owens 3 0-2 7, Maya Anderson 1 0-0 2. Totals: 22 7-11 53.

    Augusta Christian – Ja’keria Bonner 0 1-4 1, Avery Janinney 1 0-0 3, Kaylee Jackson 2 1-3 5, Alexis Perrell 2 0-0 5, Lydia Thomas 1 2-2 5, Abby White 1 2-2 4, Iyana Beard 1 4-10 6. Totals: 8 10-21 29.

Three-point goals – Greenbrier: 2 (Begley, Owens). Augusta Christian: 3 (Janinney, Perrell, Thomas).

After breezing past Augusta Christian Saturday, the Lady Wolfpack will go into the holiday break with an overall record of 4-2 and a region mark of 1-1. Head coach Ryan Morningstar answered my questions after the game about Caitlin Staley, his promising 6-3 sophomore center who transferred to Greenbrier this year, as well as Trinity Barrow, another sophomore who has deftly run the offense for Greenbrier for one-and-a-half seasons.

Q&A with Greenbrier Head Coach Ryan Morningstar

Q: Tell me about Caitlin Staley’s performance tonight and during the season so far. I think she’s awesome. And I think she’ll be a great player for you. But what do you think?

A: Caitlin did a great job running the floor, allowing our guards, especially Trinity, to find her in transition and she finished well tonight. We hit the boards on the offensive end and she capitalized on second chance points for us as well. As for the season she is still adjusting to our style of play but continues to build chemistry with our group and put in the work. 

I feel we truly have a complete team and are continuing to be excited for this group. With the addition of Caitlin along with our returners we are a very unselfish group who wants to see each other improve. We had 10 different players score tonight. Caitlin brings a presence on defense end with her shot blocking ability.  She causes players to alter their shots

Q: You mentioned Trinity. That’s timely because my second question was this: 

How beneficial is it for Caitlin, and Jordan Tanksley and all of your players, to be fortunate enough to play with a point guard with the qualities Trinity Barrow possesses?

A: Trinity makes everyone on the floor better. She is a true PG with unbelievable court vision. She sees the floor so well and always makes the right pass, finding her teammates and setting them up to score. Our shooters like Jordan and Brooklyn Begley benefit from her ability to draw defenders and kick to them for shots. Trinity only needs a small window to feed the post, allowing them to be successful. We have to tell her to be more selfish at times when we need her to score the ball.  She is the motor for our team that definitely makes us go. She would rather have more assists than points. You don’t get the opportunity to coach a kid like her too often. That goes back to us truly having a complete team. She’s a true PG with unbelievable handles, 2 to 3 shooters on the floor and a true post with Caitlin.