They Poly girls’ basketball team normally goes by the moniker “Jackrabbits,” but for one night you can call them the Harlem Globetrotters, thanks to a 71-27 romp over the Washington (Prep) Generals.  The Rabbits were aided by a press that produced four straight turnovers when it first hit the floor, and a Globetrotters-worthy non-call on a blow Brittany Wilson took to the side of her head that got the team fired up.

It was right at the start of the game, as Wilson was driving to the hoop—the Generals’ Rashanda Gray, their best player, took a swipe over her at the ball, but connected with a hard shot to Wilson’s head, sending her sprawling.  Normally on a play like that, even if the contact was inadvertent, you’d expect a flagrant foul, or possibly an ejection; the referees didn’t even blow the whistle for a regular foul.  The Generals ran out to a 7-2 lead as the Jackrabbits scrambled to regain their composure.  After they did, Washington Prep found themselves facing the scariest thing in the bracket: an angry Poly team.

“Yeah, it got me a little mad that they didn’t call it,” admitted Sheila Boykin, who tied for the lead on the team with 11 points.  “But stuff like that happens in a game, and you just have to play through it.”  The energized squad certainly did that—when they went into their press for the first time, it produced four straight turnovers, and Poly went from losing to up 14-7 without the Generals even marching across halfcourt.

They also played a nearly flawless second quarter, not allowing a single field goal and outscoring their opponent 22-2 to take a 44-13 lead into halftime.

“We just came out so sloppy,” said Ariya Crook-Williams, who tied with Boykin for a team-leading 11 points.  “We had to focus, and play our style of basketball.”  Aside from the defensive intensity, which was obviously effective, that style meant getting the ball inside against the Washington zone.  Crook-Williams helped break that zone up by going 3-3 from beyond the arc to spread the Generals out a little.

With the inside opened up, Poly passed well from the high post down low, and got 28 points in the paint from Boykin, Destiny King, Thaddesia Southall, and Ta’Nitra Byrd, as well as a handful of easy lay-ins for guards running through.  For the Generals, Gray was the only threat, and she ended up having a great night, scoring 17 points before fouling out.  Gray and some of the Poly players are on the same club team, a spot of concern for Poly coach Carl Buggs.

“As a coach you get concerned when everyone knows each other, because you can come out without that fire,” he said.  Asked whether the overtly physical play by Gray helped bring that out of his team, he smiled and said, “It didn’t hurt.”

The Jackrabbits will face the winner of Carson and Stockdale on Thursday in a game at home, at 7pm.