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(THOMAS WALLNER | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Thomason Burkett jumps to attempt a shot over a Brock defender during the Steers district opener Saturday, Jan. 11. The game was moved to Saturday after school was canceled due to inclement weather. -
(THOMAS WALLNER | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Bryce Martin jumps for a 2-point shot for the Steers in their district opener Saturday, Jan. 11 against Brock. The Graham team made key plays across the court but fell 89-28. -
(THOMAS WALLNER | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Cooper Wilde looks for an open Steers teammate during the team’s district opener against Brock last Saturday, Jan. 11. After the team travels Tuesday, Jan. 14 to Brownwood, the team will return home Friday, Jan. 17 for a matchup against Mineral Wells. -
(THOMAS WALLNER | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Cooper Corley jumps over Brock defenders to attempt to lessen the scoring gap brought by Brock during their matchup Saturday, Jan. 11. The Steers fell 89-28 in their district opener. -
(THOMAS WALLNER | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Tyler Allen searches for an open Steers teammate during the matchup against Brock last Saturday, Jan. 11. The Steers fought hard but the game ultimately ended in a 89-28 loss.
After the winter weather delayed games to Saturday, the Graham Steers fought hard in their district opener against the Brock Eagles but came up short in a 89-28 loss.
After a short break following a loss Wednesday, Jan. 3 against Abilene Cooper, the Steers were looking to make a statement for their district opener against the Eagles.
Out of the gate the Steers ran into problems with the Eagles pushing a strong offense and defense. For the first three-and-a-half minutes of the first quarter the only scoring on the board was from Brock.
Following a Graham timeout at 4:26 as the score sat at 12-0, a 2-point shot from Cooper Corley finally brought the Steers on the board. The team would only get an additional six points in the quarter, a 2-point shot and made free throw shot from Corley and a 3-point shot from Bryce Martin.
With the Eagles having three times the points as the Steers moving into the second quarter with the score at 24-8, the outlook for the Steers did not improve. Stolen possession and missed shots plagued the team throughout the game.
It took almost halfway through the second quarter for the Steers to move forward again in scoring when Tyler Allen hit a 3-point shot to bring the score to 33-11. While the Steers were struggling to make plays across the court, the Eagles took advantage to widen the scoring gap and ended the first half with a score of 42-15.
In previous games the Steers gained confidence in the second half to bring a battle across the court, but despite their efforts the Eagles were in control. Only two points were scored by the Graham team in the third quarter on a 2-point layup from Ty Thompson.
The third quarter ended with a 59 point difference between the two teams. The most scoring for the Steers was in the fourth quarter with big plays by Jagger Nees, but ultimately the Steers fell to the Eagles on their home court.
Leading in scoring for the Steers with five points were Bryce Martin, Tyler Allen, Nees and Corley. Nikolas Wankowicz, Ty Thompson, Cooper Wilde and Thomason Burkett also contributed two points each.
After traveling Tuesday, Jan. 14 to Brownwood the Steers will return home Friday, Jan. 17 for a matchup against Mineral Wells. During the Friday game there will also be a program honoring the 1964 basketball state champions.
