>> JOHN MILLEDGE ACADEMY
John Millege Academy boys’ basketball started out the season strong with a 13-0 record.
However, since beginning region play Jan. 17, the Trojans have dropped two games - both to Stratford Academy - but hope to end the regular season strong this week.
JMA head coach Mitch Risley thought his team competed hard in its first loss to the Eagles.
“We’ve done pretty well,” Risley said. “I think in both Stratford games we had a couple of things here or there that didn’t go our way. In the first game, we were down 17 (points) and starting out in that type of deficit isn’t great, but our guys battled back. We ended up losing by three (points), so I definitely think that shows our grit.”
The Trojans went on a three-game winning streak after losing to the Eagles the first time but faced them again on Friday. However, it was a nine-point loss to Stratford this time.
Risley acknowledged the Trojans just couldn’t get things going in Friday’s matchup.
“At their place on Friday, a couple of things didn’t go our way, and we got into foul trouble,” he said. “We also couldn’t hit shots when we needed to. I think looking into the region tournament next week, I feel pretty good about our guys and where we are.”
In those three wins between losses, John Milledge defeated Mount de Sales Academy (62-22), Tattnall Square Academy (79-67) and First Presbyterian Day (96-59).
The Trojans’ top two scorers, junior Jalan Butts and senior Briggs Eady, led the way in those three games. Most notably, Eady totaled 36 points Jan. 31 against FPD.
Butts is averaging 16.2 points per game and Eady scores around 15.2 points a night. Bud Veal totals 8.3 per contest, and Briggs’ brother, Banks, adds 8.2 points.
Risley believes having Butts and Briggs Eady contribute in a big way each night has helped a lot, especially after JMA lost its two leading scorers from last season.
“Those are big-time,” he said. “Coming into this year, we lost our top two leading scorers. We didn't really know who it was going to be. We’ve got Jalan and Briggs, but we’ve also got Bud and Banks. We knew all along they could score a lot, but they hadn’t really been asked to carry us in scoring. They’ve stepped up and have come into their own in being the leading scorers for this team. It’s been such a positive.”
The first-year head coach also acknowledged other players who have stepped up.
“Grayson (Woodall) and Brandon (Watson) are kind of in and out with each other at the five position,” Risley said. “They give us good looks and good minutes on defense. “Brandon, he’s a big guy and hard to get around. He also has a nice touch around the rim, is hard to defend and has a nice jump shot. People kind of sleep on his game a little bit and he takes advantage of it. Grayson has turned into a lot better defender and rebounder this year. We lost two guys who were big rebounders last year, so him stepping up was huge. His brother, Brody, has embraced his role this year, too. They’ve each accepted what’s on their plate and have accepted the challenge.”
JMA got back into the win column on Tuesday night. The Trojans defeated Mount de Sales 64-46 in Macon. They will close out the 2022-23 regular season Friday with a non-region contest on the road against Robert Toombs Christian Academy.
John Milledge will play in the region tournament in Macon at Tattnall Square Academy next week. The Trojans will likely be the No. 2 seed behind Stratford (20-2, 2-0).
Risley is content with where his team is at entering the last regular season game, adding he hopes his squad can return to the GIAA Class AAA state title contest.
“I think it’s going to be a pretty competitive tournament,” Risley said of the postseason. “I like our chances to make a run. I think we’re playing pretty good basketball right now. Going into this week, I think our guys understand that this is the time that we need to be playing our best. I think we are hitting our stride at the right time.”