Lady Blues open season with loss

The Graham Lady Blues struggled in a tough test for their 2022-2023 season-opener Tuesday, Nov. 8 at Haskell. With little time to practice ahead of the game, the Lady Blues struggled with ball control in a 55-29 loss against the Maidens.

This year’s Lady Blues will have a deeper learning curve than usual, playing under Kyle Wood, who is starting his first year in Graham following a stint in Jacksboro. With a final roster yet to be set, Madi Wilde, Erica Popplewell, Abby Osborn, Maddie Franklin, Hannah Williams, Emi Gordy, Sadie Salazar and Rebecca McGregor dressed for the varsity game. The roster featured a mix of youth and experience as six players played varsity minutes last season.

Turnovers were a problem from the start for the Lady Blues, who turned the ball over 16 times in the first quarter as the team struggled with the full-court pressure from the Maidens. The Lady Blues were trailing 12-0 and had called three timeouts before Salazar made the team’s first basket with a 2-point field goal at the 2:35 mark of the first quarter.

The Lady Blues were outscored 20-5 in the first quarter. Osborn earned an assist on McGregor’s 3-pointer later in the quarter.

For the full story, see the Saturday, Nov. 12 edition of The Graham Leader.