Lady Blues’ comeback falls short, lose to Stephenville

Lady Blues coach Ky Graham did not consider his team an underdog as the team entered Friday’s home game against the then-ranked 4A No. 17 Stephenville Honeybees. The Lady Blues did not look like an unranked team with a losing record as they battled to the last-second in a 44-40 loss.

It was the 3-point basket that proved fatal to the Lady Blues. The first of nine made at the 5:53 mark in the first quarter. The basket, part of a 4-0 run, drew the first Lady Blues timeout of the game.

The Lady Blues responded with five points in a 46-seconds. Hannah Isom jumped a passing lane for a steal and passed up to Maddie Mandela for a 3-pointer. Moments later, it was Katie Coyac, fouled on a second-chance opportunity after grabbing an offensive rebound. Mandela eventually tied the game at 8-8 with 2:36 remaining in the first quarter. It was a free-throw by Jaylee Matthews that made the difference in a 9-8 Honeybees lead after the first quarter.

For the rest of the story, see the Dec. 23 edition of The Graham Leader.