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Long-range shooting leads to win against Bowie

Sat, 12/18/2021 - 3:59 pm
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    (MIKE WILLIAMS | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Lady Blues senior Rachel Grimsley drives past former Lady Blue Maddie Mandela during the Lady Blues’ 47-39 home win over Bowie Tuesday night. Grimsley was one of three Lady Blues with 11 points in the win.
sports@grahamleader.com

The Lady Blues found their 3-point shot Tuesday night. In a night where senior Kate Gober was looking for 1,000 career points, it was 3-point shooting from Erica Popplewell, Katie Coyac and Rachel Grimsley that stole the show. The trio combined for six of seven Lady Blues 3-pointers as the Lady Blues defeated Bowie 47-39 at Graham High School.

It took nearly four minutes for the Lady Blues to score points and nearly nine minutes to find any consistency from the shooting field. Grimsley scored on a layup with 4:15. Gober completed an and-one opportunity with 1:33 remaining for the final points in the quarter for the Lady Blues. Former Lady Blue Maddie Mandela contributed five points to a 9-2 run that led to a 12-5 advantage after the opening quarter.

The second quarter, Lady Blues coach Ky Graham said, was among the best basketball the team has played all season. Gober found Emilee Gordy inside the key for a 2-pointer one minute into the quarter. That was the start of a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to the points. Mandela briefly halted the run with a driving layup at the 5:35 mark. Popplewell started the 3-point barrage at the 5:22 mark. The Lady Blues hit four 3-pointers in a span of 3:50. This led to a 20-point quarter and a 25-18 lead at halftime.

Grimsley scored the only field goals for the Lady Blues in the third quarter. She hit 3-pointers at the 7:35 and 20-second marks of the quarter. Grimsley added a free throw as well for a nine-point quarter. Gober was a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line. The points allowed the Lady Blues with a 13-10 advantage for the quarter and a 38-28 lead going into the fourth.

For the rest of the story, see the Dec. 18 edition of The Graham Leader.