The John Milledge Academy (JMA) boys’ basketball team had a rough week before Christmas, going 1-4 over five games and dropping their season record to 4-4 overall.
The Trojans’ lone win came on Dec. 20 at home over the Academy for Classical Education (ACE) to cap off the Larry Prestridge Classic.
The Trojans trailed for much of the first half against ACE and were down 16-10 after one quarter. However, by halftime JMA had rallied back to lead 29-26 over the Macon-based Griffins.
The Trojans continued to pour it on in the second half, leading 37-29 in the third quarter and finishing the game at 58-42 for the win.
JMA outrebounded the Griffins 59-23, which ultimately made the difference as both teams were essentially even in all other categories on offense and defense.
The Trojans traveled to Marietta the following day for a three-day, neutral-site tournament. On Thursday (Dec. 21) they played class 7-A North Cobb in what turned out to be a disappointing one-point loss (49-48) to the Warriors. Many in attendance were surprised that JMA could keep it that close against a team in the GHSA’s highest classification.
JMA couldn’t keep it close against South Carolina’s Blythewood on Dec. 22, however, trailing 50-8 by halftime and falling 65-24 at game’s end. JMA returned with a stronger effort on Dec. 23 for their final game of 2023 but lost 64-45 to the Spartans out of Campbell High School in Smyrna.
The Trojans’ season won’t get any easier when it resumes Jan. 3 with a 3 p.m. start against Trinity Christian in Dublin. The Crusaders (5-3, 4-1 at home) have a very tall team with four players over 6-foot-3, including 6-foot-8 forward Hayden Clay, who helped lead Trinity to a Class AA state title last season.