Top NC high school girls basketball prospect touts teamwork above self for Millbrook

It’s hard enough to score more than 20 points in a competitive basketball game once, let alone twice. On back-to-back nights. Against the same team that knows you’re coming.

But averaging 20-plus points in a conference home-and-home series agianst the same school on consecutive days is exactly what Reychel Douglas did.

Douglas, Millbrook’s highly touted 6-foot junior, paced the Wildcats’ Northern Carolina 4A Conference championship clinching wins over Wake Forest on Monday (56-45) and Tuesday (50-42).

The Wildcat girls’ championship clinching wins set the table for the school’s boys to duplicate that feat. They answered the call.

Millbrook, an 83-67 home winner Monday, rallied for an 83-80 triumph in Tuesday’s rematch at Larry Lindsey Gymnasium. Both Wildcat teams are now 9-0 in league play, with one game remaining.

“We have targets on our backs,” Douglas said. “I’ve just got to prove that I’m supposed to be here.”

Douglas, who leads Millbrook in points (17), rebounds (8), assists (3), and steals (3+) per game, reaffirmed how hard she is to match up against in Tuesday’s waning fourth quarter.

As the team’s approached the 3-minute mark in the fourth quarter Tuesday, the Wildcats spread the floor. Douglas turned the perimeter corner on Wake Forest’s Amina Miles before scoring a layup that put Millbrook up 10 (48-38). Douglas got a steal on a subsequent possession to help the Wildcats transition to a five out alignment to close the game.

“More times than not, if the opposing team tries to put a guard on her, she can dominate inside. If they try to put a big on her, she can work them off the dribble,” Millbrook coach Don Cortright said. “She does a really good job sharing the ball and getting her teammates involved.”

Douglas acknowledged, too, the teamwork at play that has her among the discussion of the better players in North Carolina’s reputable girls’ basketball Class of 2023.

“We’ve had bigger female athletes that paved the way for us,” Douglas said. “Now, we’re getting to reap the benefits.”

Two of Millbrook’s three losses were by one point each (to Green Level and Hillside) last December. The other loss was in November to Apex Friendship, led by McDonalds All-American Indya Nivar.

“Now it just means that we’re going to have to work even harder,” Douglas said.

The Wildcats will enter Friday’s regular season finale against Knightdale on a 10-game winning streak.

Millbrook boys in a thriller

Millbrook’s boys won a seventh consecutive game with Tuesday’s rally. The Wildcats, who trailed after each of the first three quarters, seized the lead for good on CeeJay Jordan’s putback layup with 1:23 remaining.

“We don’t quit,” Millbrook coach Christopher Davis said. “Until that horn sounds, the game doesn’t stop.”

The Wildcats, paced by Jaylan Bowen’s game-high 28 points, had four players score in double figures. Jordan and 6-8 freshman Colt Langdon tallied 16 each, while Bailey Daniels added 11.

Wake Forest was led by Jaden Valentine’s 21 points. Nigel Lucas (15), Cem Oztamur (14), Dashaun Grant (12) and Jaevian Alston (12) also reached double digits.

The Cougars had won 16 straight games before Monday’s outing, and with the losses fell out of first place in the conference in the final week.