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Lady Blues lose heartbreaker to Hirschi Lady Huskies

Tue, 01/28/2020 - 10:02 am
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    Chloe Menard attempts a steal during the Lady Blues 39-37 loss to Hirschi on Jan. 24. Menard finished the game with eight points in the loss. Leader photo by Mike Williams
sports@grahamleader.com

The Lady Blues entered their Friday night contest with a lot on the line despite being just halfway into the district schedule. Graham and Wichita Falls Hirschi opened the season with expectations to compete with each other as favorites to win the district championship. With Hirschi having one loss, Graham had a prime opportunity to significantly increase its championship odds with a victory. Despite a last-second effort, the Lady Blues fell just short and lost 39-37 to the Lady Huskies on Jan. 24.


The game was as tight as could be expected between two teams predicted to compete for the district championship. Hirschi came out fast on defense and fought for steals on nearly every possession. The first basket of the game came after a steal and shot by Eternity Hull.
The Lady Blues fought and responded quickly, after some work. After a miss by Kate Gober, Cammi Teplicek grabbed the offense rebound and missed her put-back. Chloe Menard grabbed the rebound from Teplicek’s miss for the Lady Blues’ first points of the evening. Following a miss by the Lady Huskies, Gober dribbled up-court and found Claire Jones for the first of her two baskets in the game. Michinsi Montoya hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 4-4. Fueled by six points from Teplicek, the Lady Blues went on an 8-1 run to take a 12-5 lead. The Lady Huskies responded with a 5-0 run to cut the Lady Blues’ lead to two points at 12-10 after the first quarter.


Neither team shot the ball well in the second quarter. However, the Lady Huskies took advantage of points when they could get them. Niara Hightower reclaimed the lead for the Lady Huskies at the 6:37 mark of the second quarter. The basket was scored as part of an 8-1 run to start the second quarter. When looking back into the first quarter, the run extends to 13-1. Coach Ky Graham called timeout at the 5:16 mark to try and help his team regroup. Finally, with 3:30 remaining in the first half, Rachel Grimsley scored the team’s first field goal in the second quarter. The Lady Blues finished the half on a 6-2 run to trail 20-19 at halftime.

The Lady Blues reclaimed the lead for a brief moment at the opening of the third quarter. Jones his the second of her two baskets to open the quarter and give the Lady Blues a 21-20 lead. The lead was short-lived as Hightower hit the last of her three baskets. After the Lady Huskies rebounded a missed shot by the Lady Blues, Menard stole the ball and ran downcourt for a basket and the lead again at 23-22. The teams traded the lead nine times in the third quarter. At the end of the quarter, the Lady Huskies held a 34-31 lead.

For the full story, see the Wednesday, Jan. 29 edition of The Graham Leader.