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(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Graham Leader recognizes Taylor Lauster as this week’s Athlete of the Week. Lauster recorded her second straight shutout as a goaltender against the Abilene Cooper Lady Cougars in their matchup Monday, Jan. 19. -
(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Graham Leader recognizes Cooper Corley as this week’s Athlete of the Week. Corley scored four key points to maintain Graham’s lead in their 59-35 win over the Brownwood Lions.
As cold weather continues around the state, local athletes continue their efforts to make their schools and communities proud.
This week, The Graham Leader is recognizing Taylor Lauster of the Lady Blues and Cooper Corley of the Steers as Athletes of the Week.
Taylor Lauster, Lady Blues Soccer
The Lady Blues have been off to a strong start this season in spite of a rigorous early schedule. The team currently sits at 7-1-4 playing in a number of early tournaments as well as non tournament matchups.
The Lady Blues latest matchup took place Monday, Jan. 19 against the Abilene Cooper Lady Cougars.
Although the Lady Blues offense wasn’t able to find the back of the net in that matchup, Lauster was a star in the goaltending department.
Lauster pitched a shutout of her own against the Lady Cougars not allowing a single goal despite multiple scoring attempts for Abilene Cooper.
The veteran goaltender had a combination of saves on shots throughout the game but also stepped up to make physical plays to cut down potential fast break drives for the Lady Cougars.
Head coach Casey Weil praised Lauster as well as the backline of the defense for their performance in the game.
“With Taylor and Ellie (Weatherman), our back line is pretty tough so they always give us a good chance to be successful,” Weil said.
Lauster has also been pivotal in tough games for the Lady Blues that have ended in ties.
This was Lauster's second straight scoreless outing and she also played a big role in keeping Graham from being defeated by Borger.
Cooper Corley, Steers Basketball
After two consecutive losses to start district play for the Steers, the team came back home and got right back on track with a win over the Brownwood Lions.
This was a contest that the Steers dominated and went on to win 59-35.
On top of this, it was a complete team effort for the Steers as seven different players filled up the scoresheet to get the victory.
One of these key players was Corley. Corley scored four points on the night in key spots where Graham was adding to their lead.
After Jagger Nees hit a three pointer to give the Steers a 15-14 lead in the second quarter, Corley was one of two players to follow this up with a fast break layup to make it 29-18 going into halftime.
Corley also scored again in the fourth quarter as Graham’s lead increased from a 10 point lead 42-32, all the way to the final score.
The veteran was also pivotal on the defensive end in holding the Lions to just three points in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Head coach Quinton Fossett is proud of the leader and player Corley has been since returning to the roster.
“Cooper is a winner,” Fossett said. “He has battled back from injury and is a huge part of who we are as a program.”
Corley and the Steers will look to build off of this victory as they advance further into district play.
