Steers take close loss to Stephenville 45-39

The game came down to the final minutes but the Graham Steers couldn’t put together the right combination to pull out the win over the visiting Stephenville Yellow Jackets last Friday, Jan. 26 as they lost 45-39.

The two teams played each other close for all four quarters as neither team held a large lead for long during the game. But the Steers got down early against the Yellow Jackets and couldn’t dig themselves out of the hole before taking the loss.

Graham scored first as junior Ty Thompson found senior Samuel Rodgers open for an easy two points at the basket to start the game. Thompson recorded another assist a play later as senior Tyson Weaver knocked down his first 3-pointer of the game to give the Steers a 5-2 lead early.

Stephenville fought back quickly, however, as the Yellow Jackets knocked down a few 3-pointers of their own to take a 10-5 lead. Junior Cash Bowen scored at the bucket, another assist for Thompson, and then he made 1-of-2 free throws near the end of the quarter. But Stephenville led 14-8 at the end of one quarter of play.

The Steers found a bit more offense in the second quarter as senior Keion Shead scored a hard basket in the paint while getting fouled for the and-1 play. Shead later made two free throws to pull Graham within one point at 14-13.

But from there, Stephenville scored seven straight points to go up 21-13 thanks to a few more 3-pointers from their guard line. Graham didn’t get down, though, as Bowen worked his way inside for two points off an assist from Rodgers.

A play later, Shead recorded a steal and took it the length of the court for a fast break layup. After Bowen made two more free throws, the Steers went into halftime trailing by just two points at 21-19.

Coming out of the locker rooms after halftime, the two teams went back and forth in the third quarter. Graham tied the game right out of the gate on a 2-pointer from senior Riley Lanham. The Steers took their first lead since the first quarter a few minutes later when Rodgers drained a corner 3-pointer off an assist from Thompson.

The teams kept things close before Thompson scored after he inbounded the ball off the back of a Stephenville defender and made a layup to put Graham up 29-28. But the Yellow Jackets hit back-to-back 3-pointers to retake the lead 34-29.

Sophomore Tyler Allen scored his first two points but another Stephenville 3-pointer gave the visitors a 37-31 lead as the teams headed into the fourth quarter.

Looking for a way to get back into it, the Steers scored five straight points to start the final period. Thompson scored two points at the bucket followed later by Weaver knocking down his second 3-pointer of the game to pull the team within one point at 37-36.

But Stephenville did just enough the rest of the way to keep their lead and prevent Graham from overtaking them. The Yellow Jackets finished the game off and with the win, the two teams moved into a tie for second place in district with 2-2 records apiece.

Shead led the Steers in scoring with 11 points while pitching in five rebounds. Bowen had 7 points and six rebounds while Thompson finished with 6 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

The Steers’ next home game will be Friday, Feb. 2 against Glen Rose with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m.