As she gets closer to another huge milestone, senior guard Da’Jha Johnson isn’t paying much attention to that aspect for Hillcrest.
Johnson, who has been playing on the varsity since her freshman year, confirmed that she’s more interested in team wins rather than reaching 2,000 career points.
“I really don’t care about numbers,” she said. “It would be good to get 2K, but I just care about winning games and doing well as a player and a teammate.”
Both of those goals are being accomplished this season by Johnson. The Hawks continued their surge Wednesday night with a 65-39 nonconference win over Southland Prep in Richton Park.
Johnson came up with 12 points, nine rebounds and five steals for Hillcrest (15-5), putting her at 1,945 career points. The program record is 2,453 by Shavonna Hunter, who played at Illinois.
“This is the best team I’ve been on in my high school years,” Johnson said. “Everybody on the team knows their roles. Everybody can score. Everybody can play defense.”
That was put to the test with 6:50 left in the second quarter when Johnson was whistled for her third foul, limiting her time on the court.
Angel Taylor picked up much of the slack with 19 points, 15 rebounds and two blocked shots for the Hawks. Jenaria Thompson added 16 points.
Freshman guard Paris Byrd paced Southland Prep (6-9) with 19 points. Junior forward Morghan Patterson had 10 points and 15 rebounds, while freshman guard JaZarria Moore-Smith added 10 points. Those are the only three players who scored for the Eagles.
Johnson’s career, meanwhile, hasn’t been easy. She has been the target of opposing defenses for a long time.
“She’s been getting double-teamed since her freshman year,” Hillcrest coach Ed Schodrof said. “But this year, the team is a little more well-rounded so it’s difficult to double-team her because now she has some complementary guards to assist her.
“She’s used to a lot of attention and getting beat up a little bit. It’s just made her stronger.”
The 5-foot-7 Johnson also has gotten stronger and tougher over the years by playing quarterback in flag football for Hillcrest the past two seasons.
It toughened her up mentally, too. After football, she heads into basketball with a similar mindset.
“I don’t want to say I’m the GOAT out there, but I go in thinking I’m the best person on the court,” she said. “It took me a very long time to think that way.”
Many of the Hawks played flag football and Schodorf believes that has helped.
“No doubt,” he said. “They had a lot of success and that helps mentally as well. That helped a lot.”
Taylor, who played wide receiver as the Hawks reached the sectional finals this fall, has had two views of Johnson’s skills.
“She’s our leader and our best player on the team,” Taylor said of Johnson in basketball. “She gives us confidence to be better.”
And as a quarterback?
“She’s a shifty one and a smart one,” Taylor said.
The leadership quality is something her coach values.
“I think she feels more comfortable as a person and leader,” Schodorf said of Johnson. “She’s having fun. She feels comfortable in herself being a leader of the team.”
Johnson has made recruiting visits to Millikin and Southwestern Michigan. She has been in contact with other schools as well.
She started playing basketball at age 3. Her grandfather, Ronald Jones, would let her play in a gym that he ran for the Hazel Crest Park District, and she has never lost her love for the sport.
“I love basketball because of the competition,” Johnson said. “I really love to go out there and compete.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.