Millbrook girls basketball
Millbrook's Courtney Spearman (11) swoops in for two of her 28 points Friday night.
Cats crush Caps in double OT
Spearman's 28 points leads Millbrook to win in league opener
Courtney Spearman's 28-point performance in a 77-69 double-overtime win over Broughton wasn't the only reason the Millbrook girls basketball team won, it was just the biggest reason.
After scoring just four points in the first half, the senior guard punished the Capitals for 15 in the second half and nine more in two overtimes, leading an inexperienced Wildcat team to its most compelling victory of the season to date.
Spearman's performance was all the more impressive considering Broughton's Amber Nichols, and her 31 points, did everything imaginable to defeat Millbrook.
"Courtney was amazing tonight," said Millbrook head coach Chris East following the game. "What we saw was a senior who didn't want to lose."
But East didn't stop at calling it Spearman's best game of the season, but rather her best in a Wildcat uniform.
"By far, not even close, that's the best high school basketball game she's ever played," he smiled.
Click here for highlights from the Broughton/Millbrook girls basketball game.
While Spearman and Company put on a great show Friday, its opening act wasn't much to see as Millbrook got off to a terrible start.
After watching the Wildcats turn the ball over on consecutive possessions and fall behind the Capitals 4-0 early, East subbed out all five Wildcats less than two minutes into the game.
There the quintet sat for the next five minutes, re-entering the game trailing 7-3, and promptly went to work, pulling off a 10-3 rally to take a 13-10 first-quarter lead.
But Millbrook played unevenly for the remainder of the contest, falling behind by four at halftime, and trailing by as many as nine points in the second half.
With less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Capitals held a six-point advantage, and looked to be closing out a win.
But the Wildcats rallied, scoring nine of 11 points, taking a 52-51 lead on Alex Tomlinson's jumper with 2:10 left.
Millbrook increased its lead to 58-53 with less than a minute remaining, but Broughton charged back in dramatic fashion to force overtime.
"We probably should have put it away in regulation," East later shrugged.
Unfortunately for the Capitals, they outplayed Millbrook in the first overtime, but Broughton went 1 for 10 from the foul line during the extra session, and the game — tied at 63-63 — continued.
After scoring all five of the Wildcats' points in the first OT, Spearman converted two free throws to start the second and followed it with a nice scoop shot, pushing Millbrook to a 67-65 advantage — a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
Millbrook stole Broughton's next possession and Wylonda Surles iced the game with a spinning lay-in, drew the foul and made the free shot. She added another lay-in moments later.
Millbrook's Katelyn Mitchell (left) holds off a Broughton defender Friday night.
The Wildcats scored 12 points in the final 2:10, killing any suspense late — not that the game needed more, it had plenty.
East lauded his young squad, which features a handful of freshmen who play regularly, for their resiliency. Not only was it a road win, but the Wildcats defeated a quality opponent.
Tomlinson was especially solid, not only acting as Millbrook's main ballhandler, but cashing in 18 points as well.
Samiyah Williams finished with nine points, Surles added eight and Taylor Houston had seven.
Broughton's Adrienne Simmons scored 17 points.
"Yes, it's a game we could have won several times, but we're a young team and we have to work on finishing games," East said. "Maybe I expect too much out of freshmen, but they are stepping up. Look at Alex, who scored 18 in her first conference game, now that's impressive.
"The beautiful thing about this team is we can play anybody on the roster. Everyone can step up and play big minutes for us."
Millbrook's road doesn't get any easier this coming week, hosting a powerful Wakefield squad Tuesday, Dec. 15, and visiting an upstart Sanderson team Friday, Dec. 18.
But after that two-game gauntlet, the Wildcats get a long break for the holidays.
And Friday, East was already thinking of gift ideas.
Taking about Spearman's stellar game, the coach laughed "that will be a good one to have on tape to give as a present."
