CHATSWORTH, Ga. – As her teammates patted her on the back and chanted “MVP, MVP,” Calhoun’s Jana Johns flashed a shy smile and shrugged her shoulders when asked to describe the final few seconds of Saturday’s game.
The freshman had just hit a tournament-winning 3-pointer in a 51-48 decision over North Murray in the Mistletoe Madness Tournament championship game, but you could hardly tell it by her business-as-usual attitude afterward.
“I just saw an opening, ran to it and got the ball and shot it,” said the guard, whose shot from the corner was true with 13 seconds to play. “This is big for us, and it shows how far we’ve come since our last tournament. This is a big step forward for us.”
Calhoun (8-3) coach Jerry Pruett was hardly surprised by Johns’ heroics.
“I tell kids if it’s a good shot take it,” he said. “In her first start a few games ago she scored 17 and in the next game had 16. She’s someone who is confident in her ability and who isn’t afraid to live with the consequences, which is why she was able to make that shot.”