Lady Blues have mixed results at Bowie tourney

Last week, the Graham Lady Blues competed at a tournament in Bowie to put their skills up against various teams from around the area.

The Lady Blues found mixed results in the tourney as they came away from four games with an even 2-2 record. Graham took losses Monday, Nov. 20 against Windthorst and Iowa Park, then came back on Tuesday to earn wins against Childress and Bowie.

In the team’s two losses the first day, the Lady Blues played each team hard and the final scores were close with Graham falling 46-38 against Windthorst and 43-39 against Iowa Park. In the victories Tuesday, Graham defeated Childress 32-28 and beat Bowie 32-26.

Lady Blues v. Windthorst (L), 46-38

Against one of the top-ranked teams in Class 2A in Windthorst, the Lady Blues put up a strong effort but ultimately came up short against the Trojanettes.

Graham received a balanced scoring effort throughout the game, led by Addyson Weaver with 8 points followed by Rebecca McGregor, Hannah Williams and Maddie Franklin who each recorded 6 points, respectively.

The Trojanettes took the lead early in the game and held onto it the entire way, despite a few occasions where the Lady Blues pulled close. At halftime, Windthorst led 25-21 and proceeded to outscore Graham in the second half 21-17 for the 46-38 win.

The Lady Blues were plagued with turnover trouble due to a staunch Windthorst defense, but Graham rebounded well in the game led by Weaver with seven and Franklin with five.

Lady Blues v. Iowa Park (L), 43-39

Playing two games in a single day is no easy feat and the Lady Blues came even closer in their loss to the Lady Hawks.

Graham led for most of the game as the Lady Blues executed their offense at a high level while playing well on the defensive side of the ball. McGregor scored a team-high 11 points in this game with Williams contributing 8 points and Madi Wilde pitching in 7 points of her own.

Graham led Iowa Park 30-23 as the two teams headed to the fourth quarter. But in the final eight minutes of gameplay, the Lady Hawks found an offensive burst as they scored 20 points in the final frame to just 9 points from the Lady Blues.

It wasn’t the ending Graham hoped for but it was a small step in the overall tournament as the Lady Blues still had two games to play the next day.

Lady Blues v. Childress (W), 32-28

After a couple of tough match-ups on day one of the Bowie tournament, the Lady Blues were eager to get back on the court and they showed up with a win over the Lady Bobcats.

It took a minute for Graham to get going as Childress held a 9-2 lead after the first quarter. But that was when the Lady Blues took over.

In the second and third quarters, the Lady Blues outscored the Lady Bobcats 26-13 to take a 28-22 lead into the final quarter. The two teams both cooled off slightly in the remaining minutes and Graham held on for the win.

Williams and Wilde tied for the team lead with 8 points apiece with Franklin contributing 6 points, as well. Franklin led the team in rebounding with six, as McGregor and Mayci Ryans each pulled down four rebounds.

Lady Blues v. Bowie (W), 32-26

As Graham entered its final game of the tournament, the Lady Blues looked for another win to split their results against the field. It was a battle against the host team Lady Jackrabbits, but the Lady Blues were able to pull out the victory.

The teams were evenly matched for most of the game with the difference being the first quarter performance.

After the first eight minutes, Graham held a 10-4 lead. In the remaining three quarters, the two teams scored the exact same number of points for the visitors to hold onto the six-point win.

The Lady Blues had one of their best rebounding performances in this game as nearly every player on the court had at least one. Franklin and Weaver each recorded five rebounds while Ryans and Fayth Bryer hauled in three each.

Offensively Williams led the team as she hit double-digits with 10 points followed by McGregor with six and Ryans with five.

After a home game Tuesday Nov. 28 against Stamford, the Lady Blues will participate in the Haskell tournament over the from Nov. 30-Dec. 2.