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It’s a unique year for the Long Beach Poly girls’ basketball team, but they’re holding themselves to the same high standard. The Jackrabbits had 11 new varsity players make their Moore League debut in their opener against Millikan on Friday night and overcame some growing pains en route to a 60-25 win.
“It’s a lot of those girls’ first ever varsity Moore League game and they know the standard they’re trying to uphold and want to uphold it,” said Poly coach Carl Buggs. “It took them a while to get going, even my veterans took awhile to get going, but we finally slowed down. It’s a good first win. It’s a good way to get started and get the kinks out a little bit, but we gotta get ready for the next one.”
Tip-off was delayed due to issues with the shot clock, which seemed to have bled into a slow start for either team. The game saw a flurry of turnovers for both teams before Poly began cleaning up the offensive glass and earning second-chance opportunities for girls like Milia Misher. Misher had back-to-back layups in the quarter, which helped spark a 7-0 Poly run to end the period.
“That helped put momentum on our side,” said Buggs of the offensive rebounds. “We’ve got some girls where [put-backs] are a big way of them scoring. So when we end up rebounding well the rest of the game ends up falling into place because they feel more comfortable when they’re scoring in the paint off of second chance opportunities.”
The Jackrabbits pace continued into the second quarter thanks to a sequence of fast-break layups from Joy Anderson. The senior was held scoreless until the second but came on strong as the game went on finishing with a game-high 23 points.
“Turning that defense into offense is major,” said Anderson. “That’s what gets us wins, playing defense. So us being able to play good defense and stay in motion on offense is what’s gonna help us a lot down the line this season.”
Anderson is one of just three returning players for Poly and is stepping into a bigger role as one of the most experienced girls on the team. The four-year varsity senior says that she’s welcomed the new role and looks to be a leader to a young group behind her.
“I just feel like I have to set an example especially with the younger girls on the team,” she said. “A lot of them have little to no experience and really have to show them how to play with passion. I really just want to step it up too. With me going to college next year, I want to start playing at that level.”
Alongside Anderson is fellow returning senior Nevaeh Lemons, who is also filling in bigger shoes in her as a starter for Poly. Lemons has taken over as the primary ball handler for the Jackrabbits, and is already averaging almost 15 points per game this season after averaging just three a season ago.
“It’s probably the biggest change from last year and I definitely take on that challenge and I’ll continue to take it on as long as I can,” said Lemons of her offensive load. “From coming in and playing spot minutes to taking over a team and helping lead a team, it’s definitely put a chip on my shoulder. I just have to help my team be the best that they can be, it’s not just me. I wanna build confidence for myself and for the team.
“With the number of kids we lost from last year, those girls know they need to step up and carry this team until our other girls get caught up to speed because of their inexperience,” added Buggs of his seniors. “We’re counting on them and so far they’ve been delivering.”
Anderson and Lemons combined for 24 of the Jackrabbits 31 points in the second half including 10 fourth quarter points from Anderson. Alongside Anderson’s 23 points, Lemons finished with 17. Misher and Ana Villamar also chipped in five apiece.
For Millikan, the Rams found a team-high seven points from Jeranay Roberson and five points from Ky-lliyah Clardy.
Millikan will go on to face off against Jordan on Tuesday while Poly will gear up for their matchup at Lakewood on Thursday.
