Defense leads to offense in Lady Blues’ win over Stamford

The Lady Blues basketball team has only played four games so far this season, but early results have shown some promise.

With a first-year head coach and players having to adjust to different gameplans and tendencies, Graham’s girls have been up for the challenge and answered the call.

The Lady Blues recently defeated the Stamford Lady Bulldogs 45-35 in a battle where Graham’s defense once again led the way.

Just a week prior, the Lady Blues (3-1) put on a defensive clinic against South Hills where the team recorded a lot of steals which led to transition baskets. A similar thing occurred Tuesday night against an improved Stamford squad.

“Big win. They beat us last year, so we were coming out here ready to just get after it and work,” head coach Baylee Thompson said. “That's what the girls did. Real strong hands on defense…we were trying at all times to be in front (Stamford’s players) and have a hand in the passing lane. They really executed there, and it helped cause a lot of turnovers.”

In total, Graham recorded 16 steals as a team led by Katie McGehee who had seven. But more important than the steals themselves was the fact that most of them led to quick layups on the other end of the floor.

After taking an early 4-2 lead, McGehee drove the length of the court and finished the layup with a nice eurostep to make it 6-2. Rebecca McGregor pushed that to 8-2 with a mid-range jumper which forced a Stamford timeout.

Coming out of the break, the Lady Bulldogs began to knock down a few shots from deep. But Graham forged ahead and held a 14-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Lady Blues controlled the pace of the game from the beginning but struggled occasionally with making their shots. However, going into the second quarter Graham’s offense kept things going while the defense locked down on Stamford.

It took Graham a few minutes to get a basket to start the second, but once McGehee hit a jumper for two points, the Lady Blues scored four more points in a row with a couple free throws from Mayci Ryans and another layup by McGehee.

Stamford went nearly the first five minutes of the second quarter before the team hit a 3-pointer. But those were the only points the visitors got in the frame, and Graham led 27-16 at halftime.

“I tell my girls to always expect small schools to be good 3-point shooters,” Thompson said. “It's either they're on or they're not, and if they're not, it doesn't look good, but if they're on it's going to look real good, so be prepared for that.”

Stamford opened the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 27-22, but Briley Randall got Graham going with a steal and a transition basket. Randall did most of her work inside the paint as she finished the game with 7 points and seven rebounds.

Offensively, McGehee led the way for the team with 16 points scored on 8-of-13 shooting. She was the only Lady Blue to reach double figures, but the rest of the team offered scoring options as well.

In the third quarter, Graham maintained a solid lead over the visitors with a steady diet of steals, layups and free throws. Stamford scored 12 points in the third period with all of them coming on 3-pointers. However, it wasn’t enough to make a dent in the Lady Blues’ lead.

Addyson Weaver, McGehee and McGregor did the scoring in the final frame for Graham, with McGregor knocking down the only 3-pointer of the game for the home team. The outcome was never truly in doubt as the Lady Blues finished off the 45-35 win.

“I think (this win is) going to give us a lot more confidence going into some tougher games,” Thompson said. “... I'm hoping we're getting a little more confidence, getting a little more gritty and just learning how hard work on defense will pay off.”