GJHS Lady Blues play in district tournament

The Lady Blues basketball teams of Graham Junior High School participated in the district tournament on Jan. 16-18 at Burkburnett. Both the seventh and eighth grade teams overcame early losses to win in the consolation round.

The seventh grade Lady Blues “A” team opened up the district tournament against Barwise. The Lady Blue struggled from the start and were outscored in the first quarter 11-2. They worked the rest of the game to cut into the deficit. After outscoring Barwise 8-2 in the second quarter, they trailed 13-10 at halftime. Both offenses struggled in the third quarter to put points on the scoreboard. The Lady Blues cut the deficit to four points. Barwise did just enough in the fourth quarter to hold on and win 25-21. Emi Gordy was the leading scorer for the Lady Blues with six points in the loss.

In the second game of the tournament, GJHS were paired against Kirby. The Lady Blues had little trouble dispatching the Lady Hounds. Graham jumped ahead early and led 8-2 after the first. Neither offense could operate in the second quarter. However, the Lady Blues increased their lead eight by halftime with a 12-4 lead. The Lady Blues dominated the second half by outscoring the Lady Hounds 17-2 in the second half to earn a trip to the consolation finals with a 29-6 victory. Kinsley Amburn led the Lady Blues with six points. Lexie Wolfe, Olivia Pettus, Camden Thorne and Diana Simental each scored four points.

In the consolation finals, GJHS was matched against Iowa Park. Much like the second game, the Lady Blues faced little resistance on their way to victory. The Lady Blues outscored the Lady Hawks 14-4 in the first half. Iowa Park was held scoreless in the second quarter. The Lady Blues only gave up three points the rest of the way to walk away with a 30-7 victory. Diana Simental and Emi Gordy combined for 14 points in the win.

“The girls had a great tournament,” said coach Shanon Weaver. “Everyone stepped up and played an important role.”

The eighth grade Lady Blues “A” struggled early and could not overcome in the opening game against Millsap. Held to just two points in the first quarter, the Lady Blues trailed by 10 entering the second quarter. Efforts to cut into the deficit proved futile in the second, as Millsap outscored Graham 12-7 to take a 24-9 lead into halftime. The third quarter was the closest in the contest. The Lady Blues managed to cut into the lead but it was not enough. Millsap still led 30-16. By the fourth quarter, it was too late. Millsap defeated GJHS 41-25. Peyton Hobbs led the team with 10 points in the loss.

The Lady Blues faced no challenge in their second game, against McNiel. GJHS was victorious 24-8. Mary Lyndall Graham led the Lady Blues with six points.

Against Barwise in the consolation final, the Lady Blues jumped ahead early with a 12-4 lead after the first quarter. Both offenses struggled in the second quarter. However, the Lady Blues led 16-8 at the break. Barwise came out in the second half and cut into the deficit. After the offense was held to two points, the Lady Blues led 18-15. Neither offense could perform in the second quarter. Each team only managed three points as the Lady Blues held on for a 21-18 win. Hannah Williams led the Lady Blues with six points.

The Lady Blues are back in action on Thursday when they hit the road for a game against  Kirby. Both the “A” and “B” teams for seventh and eighth grade will be in action. The games begin at 4 p.m.