By Thomas Sellers Jr.
Millington Trojans Head Coach Jewell Gates understood the moment.
With the William Osteen Gymnasium packed to the raptures with Trojan faithful and Munford Cougar supporters, Gates knew Friday’s rivalry game had extra importance. The veteran basketball leader was taking on his former player and assistant coach Nic Buford. Buford and his Cougars made the trip to Flag City short-handed with Michael Lee out of the game.
But like his mentor Gates, Buford made no excuses and Munford jumped out 6-0. The Cougars held the advantage until the 1:22 mark of the second quarter.
Once Millington’s Greg Johnson made a pair of foul shots to give the Trojans their first lead at 29-28, Millington proceeded to outscore Munford 43-26 to prevail 72-54.
“I’ve been doing this for so long, and I don’t mean to make light of it, but it’s still just a basketball game,” Gates said. “I’ve been in big games. I’ve been in the Sub-State game. I’ve been in the State Tournament. I’ve been in the State championship game.
“This was big but as I am taking it it was bigger for the community of Millington,” he added. “Packed gym, nice crowd, this was for the community of Millington. Not necessarily Jewell Gates, I am just a small part in this. I do want the players to know, the harder you work, the bigger the rewards. But you’ve got to work.”
Throughout the first 8 minutes of the game, the Cougars got contributions from players like Decameron Haynes, Levi Poindexter and Jordan Bell to maintain an 18-13 lead.
Trojan guard Seth Grandberry kept Millington within striking distance. Early in the second quarter it was Chris Barnes that gave the Trojans a boost with 6 points to make the score 20-19 in favor of Munford.
Murray Norman made three free throws for the Cougars that made the score 23-19. Then the Trojans proceeded with a 15-5 run to close out the first half. Grandberry was the driving force for Millington hitting a bank-shot three-pointer that made the scoreboard read 28-27.
After Johnson gave Millington the advantage, Grandberry drove to the rim to make a shot and draw a foul. The three-point play by Grandberry made the tally 32-28. The Trojans were ahead 34-28 at the break.
Gates’ years around basketball has allowed him to coach countless talented players like JaJuan Johnson and Mark Freeman.
“June of 2019 he was just a little eighth grader going into the ninth grade, that was surreal,” he recalled. “Kind of the way he is now. I went to see another kid and Seth was just happening to be playing. His mom came up to me and said, ‘Hey, you’re the Coach at Millington?’ I said, ‘Yes I am.’ She said, ‘Well I live in Millington.’
“‘My son, we’re thinking about sending him to Millington,’” Gates continued. “I watched him play that day and told her he has a chance to play varsity basketball at Millington in the ninth grade. He is a special young man. I’ve been around some good guys and some special athletes. I’ve been around three Mr. Basketball Finalists. He has that certain uph that you don’t coach, that you don’t teach.”
With Millington outscoring the Cougars 21-14 in the third period, the highlight of the quarter came at the very end. As Grandberry rushed up the court with less than 4 seconds on the clock, he launched an off-balanced three-pointer with a pair of Cougars draped over him. Grandberry’s shot found nothing but net and as the buzzer sounded, the whistle blew.
Grandberry’s four-point play made the score 55-42 heading into the fourth quarter.
Grandberry and the Trojans kept the pressure on the Cougars and made back-breaking shots leading to the 18-point win.
“I think we’re finally getting that,” Gates concluded. “When you work you’ll get these kinds of results against a quality team that is physical, bang you and not going to give in. These are wins we’re getting now that last year we wouldn’t have got.”
