Steers basketball suffers first defeat in Santo tourney

SANTO - A sign of a team’s character is usually shown when it is faced with adversity. For the Graham Steers, their adversity came this past weekend during the conclusion of the Santo Tournament. After two quality victories over Covenant Classical, and the Granbury JV team, the Steers advanced to the championship game. Unfortunately, the North Central Texas Academy Pioneers proved to be too much for Graham, as they suffered their first defeat of the season. Graham (7-1) was scheduled to be at home Tuesday night against Mineral Wells, the first time all season the Steers have played at GHS. Graham 56 Granbury JV 45 Following a blowout 67-26 victory over Covenant Classical to end pool play, the Steers entered bracket play last Saturday against the Granbury JV Pirates. Despite not having the services of senior standout Steven Kimberling, the Steers were still able to register three players in double figures as they picked up the victory. However, the victory wasn’t secured until late in the second half. Graham found itself facing a stubborn Pirates squad, as the Steers held a slim 14-13 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Going into the halftime interval, the Steers held a 30-27 lead, but were far from in control. Things got nerve racking momentarily in the third quarter, as the Pirates tied the game at 30-30 just 27 seconds into the second half. However, Graham managed to keep itself in the lead with an 11-9 run over the remainder of the quarter to head into the fourth ahead. Graham closed the game out on a 15-6 run. For the rest of this story, subscribe to our print or online edition.