Steers continue to improve while searching for first district win

When suffering losing streaks it can be difficult to find points of positivity. That is not the case with the Graham Steers basketball season. Coach Kris Hise said from the beginning that it would be a difficult and frustrating season. While that prediction has come true, Hise also sees reasons to believe that the future is bright for Steers basketball. The Steers outshot the Iowa Park Hawks but ultimately lost 61-53.

Shooting has been the biggest struggle all season for the Steers. While still shooting at a low percentage, the Steers hit 22 field goals compared to 17 for the Hawks. The advantage for the Hawks came from a 21-30 stat line from the free-throw line compared to 4-5 for the Steers.

Keion Shead had the best shooting night of his young varsity career in a game-high 24 points on 10-15 shooting and 2-3 from the free-throw line. It started with six points in the first quarter as the Steers trailed 21-11.

The Steers cut into the lead in the early portion of the second quarter. It took a 12-5 advantage over the first four minutes to cut the deficit to four points. Ben Williams scored six of his eight points in that span, including two baskets following offensive rebounds. William finished the game with four offensive rebounds. As a team, the Steers combined for 14 offensive rebounds. The Hawks led 36-28 at halftime.

For the rest of the story, see the Feb. 2 edition of The Graham Leader.