Playing in the “Tiger’s Den” was a big part of Christen Battle’s high school experience at Wilson Preparatory Academy, where the crowd in the tiny gym made for truly a homecourt advantage.
Fast forward to the North Carolina Coaches Association’s East-West All-Star Game at the spacious Greensboro Coliseum, which Battle quickly realized was quite different from the “Tiger’s Den.”
“I had never, ever played in a coliseum like that,” Battle said Tuesday, the day after the East’s 92-90 loss. “It was fun.”
Battle averaged more than 20 points this past season in leading Wilson Prep to the NCHSAA 1-A semifinals one year after helping the Tigers win the state 1-A title. That silky scoring touch was nowhere to be found Monday. Battle struggled on offense, going 0 for 8 from the field, including 0 for 4 from 3-point range. However, he did make his presence felt on defense with three steals to go with an assist.
“It was a good experience all around. I had fun,” he said.
Playing with and against some of the best players in the state was definitely fun, he said.
“It was really competitive. It was a defensive game really,” he said.
All three of Battle’s steals came in the third quarter when the East was fighting its way back from a 19-point deficit earlier in the half.
Battle said his favorite memory will be just connecting with his East All-Star teammates that included Jeremy Dixon from Kinston and game MVP Jalen Ellingsworth of West Carteret.
“Just always playing hard and having fun really, because I feel like when the team has fun, we start playing together,” he said. “It was just sweet. We had good chemistry.”
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