Sport Basketball
Year: Freshman
Even before she joined the Christ the King varsity, Bria Smith was billed as the city’s top freshman. Since donning the Royals’ maroon and gold, the 5-foot-10 Long Island native has done little to refute that claim.
She has immediately become CK’s leading scorer. She scored 15 points in her first game, a 78-66 win over Bishop Ford, scored a career-high 33 points in a recent victory over Bishop Kearney and dazzled again Monday afternoon with a game-high 28 points in a 56-54 win over borough rival Mary Louis.
Along with Nia Oden, Smith became the first freshman to play for the varsity since Clare Droesch in 1998. She is still prone to mistakes – Smith was whistled for four carrying violation in the win over the Hilltoppers – but has already shown the ability to come through in the clutch.
In the win over Mary Louis, she scored 15 points in the second half and six in the fourth quarter, bringing the Royals back from a six-point deficit with an array of baby jumpers and drives to the hoop.
“Bria is very capable of making the plays; the key was just to get her open,” CK Coach Bob Mackey said. “She’s gotta feel a little confidence. When she’s got that confidence, wow.”
