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(ALEX KIELAR | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Star player of the Steers, Cooper Corley, attempts a layup against the Hawley Bulldogs in the final week of the summer basketball league Tuesday, June 24. Corley continued his strong offensive production during the summer league as the leading scorer. -
(ALEX KIELAR | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Bryce Martin goes up for a shot for the Steers in their game against the Clyde Bulldogs during the final week of the Breckenridge summer basketball league Tuesday, June 24. Martin finished the first of two games on the evening with 12 points. -
(ALEX KIELAR | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Bryce Martin attempts a three-point shot for the Steers in their game against the Clyde Bulldogs during the final week of the Breckenridge summer basketball league Tuesday, June 24. -
(ALEX KIELAR | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Nick Wankowicz puts up a hook shot from the free throw line Tuesday, June 24, over a Clyde defender as the Graham Steers won this game, 41-29, and their second game, 29-25, to close out the summer basketball league that was hosted in Breckenridge.
The Graham Steers took the momentum from their two wins last week to show out again with a sweep of their two games to close out the final week of summer league basketball.
The summer league, hosted by Breckenridge in their Athletic and Fine Arts Center, opened with a fresh slate of games Tuesday, June 24.
The Newcastle Bobcats were once again not in attendance to close out the schedule, leaving the Steers as the lone Young County team.
Kicking off their schedule against the Clyde Bulldogs in the main gym, the Steers then later closed out the league facing the Hawley Bearcats.
As he has been throughout the summer league, Cooper Corley was a big-time facilitator for the Steers’ offense as he put up strong production once again.
Corley filled up the stat sheet as the first game’s leading scorer with 16 points against the Bulldogs as the Steers went on to win fairly handily, 41-29. Corley got Graham in the lead with a two-point shot a few minutes into the contest, and after some back-and-forth scoring, the Steers went into halftime with a 22-16 lead.
Right behind Corley in scoring was Bryce Martin, who scored 12 points for the Steers in that game.
The team’s second game against Hawley was much more of a defensive battle, as the teams struggled to get many scoring opportunities throughout the matchup. The Steers got out to a 7-0 lead before the Bearcats finally scored their first basket, a layup, almost three minutes into the game.
Keeping the Bearcats under 10 points in the first half, the Steers led 17-8. As they struggled with keeping momentum on their side and landing shots, a second-half surge by the Bearcats nearly cost Graham the game.
However, the Steers ultimately stayed strong and closed it out for a 29-25 win. The Bearcats went on a bit of a run to cut the Graham lead down to 26-19 and even got to within four points, but the Steers' defense buckled down to stop them from having a chance at tying.
The Steers also stopped momentum after two straight baskets from Hawley, a three-pointer and a two-pointer, as Bryce Martin banked in a three of his own under a minute remaining.
