The John Essex girls got what they were looking for Friday night, a 44-30 over A.L. Johnson and an effective rebound from last weekend’s back-to-back losses against area opponents.

“The way I looked at it during the game, their morale had gotten back up,” JEHS head coach Fentress Means said.

According to Means, his team, which dropped a heartbreaker to Sweet Water last Friday night on a last second free throw , needed the win in the A.L. Johnson Classic.

“I give a lot of credit to (A.L. Johnson head coach Rose) Wolf,” Means said.

“Her girls were better prepared.”

The meeting marked the third of the year between the squads, with all four going down as John Essex victories.

The teams first met in John Essex’s Pre-Thanksgiving Classic and then again in area play the following week.

A.L. Johnson offered a different look this round as it returned primary scorer Ashley Edwards to the lineup. Edwards had missed the previous two meetings due to injury.

“She was a big plus for them, but we were still able to maintain,” Means said.

Edwards finished the game with 15 points. Charlester Wims added 13 in the loss.

Nayesha Daniels led John Essex with 13 points while Dondrea Johnson contributed eight.

“Nayesha Danies, she stepped up for us tonight,” Means said of one of his top post players. “She even stepped up top and handled the ball too.”

JEHS plays again today in the Demopolis Classic against 4A Greensboro.

“We’re not afraid to paly anybody,” Means said. “They’ve had some big victories here lately. We’ve just got to go out and play hard. That’s the biggest thing.”