Jessica Manley wasn’t sure what was going on after she hit a 3-pointer midway through the second quarter of Shepard’s season opener on Nov. 17 and the game was stopped.
“Yeah, I was a little confused,” the senior said. “I thought like, ‘Is this a timeout?'”
No, it was a chance to recognize Manley for making Astros’ history.,
With that 3-pointer, she passed 1986 graduate Lori Miller as the leading scorer in program history, according to coach Rick Gamino.
Manley’s parents, Jeffery and Kashanda, came out to center court along with her brother, Kameron, and her grandmother, Vivian Funches, to pose with the Shepard star and a banner celebrating her achievement.
Then it was back to work for Manley and the Astros. The 5-10 guard finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds and seven steals as Shepard beat Eisenhower 49-37 in pool play of the Bobby Bolton Classic.
Manley finished the game with 1,356 points, seven more than Miller’s total, according to Gamino.
The coach wasn’t surprised by Manley’s achievement.
“As a freshman, she averaged 16.7 points per game,” he said. “When she came in as a freshman in the summer, she started off with the sophomores. And then after one game it was like, ‘Yeah, come on up with us (on the varsity).’ And then (we) quickly saw just her ability to be able to read the court and go from there.'”
Manley had a flair for the dramatic from the start, hitting a game-winning buzzer-beater in her first summer-league game.
“And so I remember that as, ‘OK, like this girl doesn’t back down,'” Gamino said. “‘She’s not afraid of the big moment.'”
Manley has been playing since she was in third grade. There are one-on-one games against Kameron, who’s 15.
“I can beat him,” she said with a smile. “It doesn’t matter what he says.”
Though Manley has been a proven scorer from the get-go, she’s changed in other ways over the years.
“Freshman year, she was super duper quiet,” Gamino said. “Now she’s out there talking to her teammates and it’s something we’re trying to get her to do more. And she’s fallen into that role as a senior. …
“The great thing about her — I’ve said this many times — she’s not just a one-way player. She busts her butt on defense, she protects the lane for us.”
Manley isn’t just a basketball player either. She played volleyball as a freshman and still runs track. This fall, she added flag football to her resume.
“It helps keep you in shape,” she said of her busy sports schedule. “Running up the football field and running a 400 is way different from running on a basketball court.”
Manley would like to play basketball in college and has visited Alabama State.
In the meantime, she’s focused on the Astros’ season. Shepard had never won a conference title before Manley’s sophomore season, but now they’re two-time defending South Suburban Red champs.
“Obviously we’re going for a three-peat (in the conference) and I think it’s really possible with the girls we have this year,” Manley said. “And then hopefully make it a little further in the playoffs.”
● Shepard ended the first week of the season at 2-2 after finishing fifth in the eight-team Bobby Bolton Classic. Manley scored 20 in a 48-38 loss to Hillcrest and 25 in a 60-31 win over Ag. Science. The Astros also lost 72-20 to Marist.