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(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Brodie Martin puts up a layup Tuesday, Feb. 24 against the San Angelo Lake View Chiefs. Martin hit several breakaway layups late in the game to help seal the 38-32 win for the Steers. -
(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Jagger Nees takes the ball up the floor Tuesday, Feb. 24 against the San Angelo Lake View Chiefs. Nees was an effective distributor of the ball in the Steers’ 38-32 bi-district playoff win. -
(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Cooper Corley puts up a layup Tuesday, Feb. 24 against the San Angelo Lake View Chiefs. Corley was a machine in the Steers’ bi-district playoff win, leading the team in scoring with 19 points. -
(ALEX HAVARDANSKY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Steers pose after their bi-district matchup Tuesday, Feb. 24 against the San Angelo Lake View Chiefs. For the first time in seven years, the Steers won a playoff game with a 38-32 victory.
The Graham Steers made history earlier in the week when they traveled out to Clyde High School for their opening round bi-district playoff matchup against the San Angelo Lake View Chiefs.
There was a lot riding on this game for Graham as coming into the contest they had not won a playoff game in seven years.
That drought finally came to an end when the Steers came away with a well-fought victory in a 38-32 thriller.
Head coach Quinton Fossett has taken this program by the reins this season and reshaped the culture leading up to this victory. Fossett spoke after the game about what this win means to both the boys on the team as well as the program as a whole.
“That’s our expectation, we want to be winners in all things,” Fossett said. “We showed who we were all year. We’ve been solid on the defensive end all year. That’s who we are, grit and grind and just find a way to win and compete our tail off on the defensive end.”
The Steers got off to a slow start in the first quarter as they were having trouble taking care of the ball and that led to five quick points for Lake View.
Cooper Corley finally got the Steers on the board after drawing a technical foul and hitting a free throw and Brodie Martin followed this up with a pair of free throws as well. Those two names would be heard frequently for the Steers throughout the game.
Corley grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a layup at the end of the quarter.
Quarter two was really when the Steers kicked it into high gear. Bryce Martin hit Corley on a cut to the basket and Corley laid one in and attacked the basket on the next possession as well to make it a four point game 13-9.
Later in the quarter, Corley fired the ball across court to Thomason Burkett in the corner for a three to make it a one point game 15-14. Corley then followed this up with a pair of layups to give the Steers their first lead of the game 18-17 which the team took into halftime after remaining sound defensively.
Despite still having trouble maintaining offensive possession, the team remained focused and continued to attack the basket with players like Corley, Brodie Martin and Bryce Martin to maintain a 26-23 lead going into the final quarter of play.
Around the midway point of the quarter, the Steers increased their lead to five points 32-27, but the Chiefs weren’t going down without a fight. After Lake View hit a three to cut the lead to two points things remained that way for several minutes.
That was when Brodie Martin took over to seal the game. On a loose ball play for Graham, Martin snagged it away from Lake View and took it to the basket for a layup to create a 34-30 cushion.
Later in the quarter, Burkett heaved a pass downcourt to Brodie Martin again for another fast break layup to put the Steers up 36-32.
Burkett sank a pair of free throws to extend the lead to six and the Chiefs air balled from three on a last chance heave with eight seconds left and Graham took home the win.
After this game, the Steers went on to play Burkburnett in the area round of the playoffs.
