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The Saints are marching in

Fred Jeter | 1/11/2024, 6 p.m.
No, that wasn’t a sonic boom or earthquake Richmonders heard coming from the west last Friday night.
Coach Jones

No, that wasn’t a sonic boom or earthquake Richmonders heard coming from the west last Friday night.

It was St. Christopher’s felling the area’s perennial hoops giant, John Marshall. Timberrr!

In stunning fashion, the Saints – led by VCU commit Brandon Jennings – took down the Justices, 53-50, in front of packed-to-rafters, highly partisan Scott Gym.

“It was an electric environment,” said Saints’ Coach Hamill Jones. “First as a kid, then as a player and now as a coach I’ve seen some mystical nights here … this is certainly one of them.”

It was many-times State champ JM’s first setback to an 804 opponent since losing to L.C. Bird Feb. 2, 2019, 57-55.

JM had won 45 straight games against Area Code 804 foes until falling to the Saints.

Now 9-3, the Justices other losses were to Myers Park, N.C., and Ridge View, S.C.

St. Chris, 10-2, has losses against Grace Brethren, Md., and St. John’s, D.C.

The madcap court rushing scene by students (and, yes, a few older folks, too) that followed reminded some of the 1971 upset in which Notre Dame ended UCLA’s 88- game winning streak in South Bend.

Jennings had 24 points, including key baskets in the final seconds, with Stuart Cosby adding 15 (five 3-pointers) and Darius Gray seven points and 10 rebounds.

Gray’s early 3-pointer, a rare long-ball by the 285-pound center, got the home team going after falling behind 9-0.

Damon “Redd” Thompson led the Justices with 20 points. Aiden Argabright added a dozen.

The worm has turned. A year ago, JM routed the Saints, 100-58, on the North Side.

This game was not originally scheduled. Coaches Jones and JM’s Ty White put it together on the fly Wednesday night. It wasn’t announced until Thursday.

“We were texting back and forth while we were driving back from a game in Northern Virginia,” said Jones. It helped that St. Chris students were back in school and jumped out their seats to hear of the challenge.

The game also was viewed live on Saint Chris’ in-house YouTube, STCTV. It is still available in replay.

“I think we’ll keep that up for some time,” Coach Jones said with a smile.