Up 42-27 in the third quarter after a couple of Corin Edsell threes, it appeared John Handley was set to break a long losing streak to Millbrook Thursday night, and remain undefeated in 2023-2024 to boot. Then, Judges sophomore Reagan Edsell picked up her fourth foul and went to the bench. Suddenly, a few minutes later shocked John Handley was down two possessions as Millbrook embarked on a furious run fueled by a loud Pioneers home crowd.
To the Judges credit, after a few time outs and Reagan Edsell’s return, they acted like a playoff contender should–calmly composing themselves, matching Millbrook’s intensity, and getting a hard-earned 66-60 road victory. It was a good win made all the more significant in that it broke a 15-year losing streak to the Pioneers.
Handley had lots of heroes in the win. Sophomore Cameron Hobson led the team with 24 points and was clutch from the line down the stretch. She buried 11 free throws in the second half alone. Corin Edsell, a senior, had 15 points. But it was clearly Reagan Edsell, whose physicality provided 15 rebounds to go with her 15 points, that was indispensable in beating Millbrook.
“She is so good on defense and when she comes out you can clearly see what happens,” said Handley Head Coach Katlyn Orndorff. “A little bit of a breakdown, but we got it together, came back, and finished the game.”
Millbrook completely overwhelmed John Handley when she was out of the game. That was spurred by Pioneers junior Jaliah Jackson, who was absolutely relentless on defense and at the rim. In one sequence Jackson scored and then immediately stole the in-bounds pass and scored again, igniting the crowd. The Pioneers surged to a 53-48 lead, completing a 26-6 run in which Reagan Edsell was out of the game.
John Handley regained the lead on a Reagan Edsell steal and bucket to make it 59-57. Next possession, Edsell got another steal to protect the lead. After that, Hobson did her thing at the line, calmly making free throw after free throw to seal the victory.
Even in the loss, Millbrook (2-2, 5-6) displayed a remarkable resiliency to claw its way back into the game down 15 in the second half. Jackson’s energy was supplemented by Pioneers seniors Valentina Burrill and Michaela Owens, who each had 11 points. Burrill added five rebounds and five assists, while Owens, a fantastic shooter, added three three-pointers.
Junior Olivia Jett was another key component for John Handley (6-0, 7-0). She added seven points, five rebounds, and four assists, and also registered several steals. It was a win to remember for Handley, which aspires to do what Millbrook has consistently done in recent years–contend for district and regional championships.
“It’s amazing,” said Orndorff. “We worked hard we put in a lot of practice to this game and it paid off.”
–Chris Jollay
all statistics are unofficial
| JOHN HANDLEY | FG | FT | TP | REB | AST | |
| C.EDSELL | 4-11 | 4-6 | 15 | 2 | 1 | |
| HOBSON | 5-12 | 11-12 | 24 | 2 | 3 | |
| R.EDSELL | 5-12 | 5-6 | 15 | 15 | 3 | |
| JETT | 3-7 | 0-0 | 7 | 5 | 4 | |
| CRAIG | 0-2 | 1-2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | |
| Boone | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Armel | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Smith | 1-2 | 2-2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | |
| Long | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | 18-49 | 23-28 | 66 | 37 | 11 | |
| Threes: C.Edsell 3-8, Hobson 3-8, Jett 1-2, R.Edsell 0-1, Armel 0-1, Long 0-1 | ||||||
| MILLBROOK | FG | FT | TP | REB | AST | |
| ARRINGTON | 3-10 | 2-4 | 8 | 4 | 1 | |
| OWENS | 4-9 | 0-0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | |
| WILLIAMS | 2-7 | 0-0 | 6 | 4 | 3 | |
| BURRILL | 5-10 | 1-2 | 11 | 5 | 5 | |
| JACKSON | 10-18 | 2-14 | 22 | 11 | 5 | |
| Moreland | 1-4 | 0-0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| Talley | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | 25-58 | 5-20 | 60 | 26 | 14 | |
| Threes: Owens 3-6, Williams 2-6 | ||||||