Emma Smith made a statement in the first four minutes of Friday night’s game. At the end of the night, the Concord Christian Academy girls’ basketball team had made another.

Smith scored a 3 on the Kingsmen’s first possession of the game and hit another 3 from the corner with 4:50 left in the opening quarter for her 1,000th career point as Concord Christian improved to 7-0 with a 53-25 victory over Hanover (5-3) on the Kingsmen’s home floor. 

Smith’s milestone came amidst CCA’s 13-0 run to open the game as Concord Christian led 17-3 at the end of the first quarter and 27-10 at halftime. The Kingsmen led 38-20 at the end of three and junior Lilli Carlile scored nine of her game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter to ice the victory.

Entering Friday’s game with 996 career points, Smith, a sophomore, finished the night with 12 to put her well over 1,000. Sophomore Kayden Rioux (11 points) and junior Ireland Baines (six points) also were key to the offense.

The Kingsmen connected on eight 3-pointers, while the Bears made just three shots from long range. 

It’s a big victory for Concord Christian, newcomers to Division II, against a Hanover program that’s won D-II championships in 2022 and 2019 and is consistently at the top of the standings. CCA also beat Bishop Guertin – the two-time defending D-I champions – 57-51 in Nashua earlier in the week.

CCA has shaken up the NHIAA girls’ basketball world in the last three years, winning the D-IV championship in 2022, the D-III title in 2023 and now has its sights set on a D-II championship in March. Smith has a big part of it all.

“She’s been an impact player since seventh grade,” said Concord Christian head coach Rebecca Carlile, who is also Smith’s aunt. “Her outside shot is next level, but she’ll get to the rim as well and she’s one of our top rebounders. But I’d say her basketball IQ is probably her best asset. She understands the game at a level most never will. She’s been in the gym her entire life.”

CCA is now one of three 7-0 teams in D-II, with Pembroke and Oyster River tied for second behind the Kingsmen (CCA gets first place due its victory over a D-I team). There’s still 11 regular season games to be played before the postseason, including contests against area teams Pembroke, Merrimack Valley and Bow on Concord Christian’s home floor, and a rematch against Bishop Guertin on Feb. 2.

The Kingsmen next play on Tuesday when they host Kingswood.