It was another chilly night for the Graham Lady Blues in a home matchup against the Springtown Lady Porcupines, but the boots stayed hot and the Lady Blues pulled off a remarkable 5-0 win.
Head coach Casey Weil said that the key to this victory was offensive aggression from the opening minutes of the first half as well as the belief instilled in them that they were a skilled team.
As Graham and Newcastle head into the heart of their seasons in district play, it is important for them to go into that schedule with momentum.
The Graham Leader is recognizing Kenzie King of the Ladycats and Brodie Martin of the Steers as this week's Athletes of the Week.
Kenzie King, Ladycats Basketball
It was a thrilling night Tuesday, Jan. 13 for the Ladycats in their district matchup against the Perrin-Whitt Lady Pirates.
The Graham Steers baseball program has a long and sorted history of success through the efforts of athletes involved with the program.
Most recently, the Steers made a run in the 2025 playoff all the way to the regional finals against Brock.
That team was full of talent and two members of that squad are now receiving a permanent recognition.
The Lady Blues season is still young and they got a serious test of their metal in their first tournament of the season in Wichita Falls.
Graham made a statement in this early portion of the season finishing the tournament with a 2-1 record.
The defense was stout throughout most of the Lady Blues first contest against the Fossil Ridge Lady Panthers.
The Lady Blues entered the heart of their season last week with the beginning of their district schedule against the Glen Rose Lady Tigers.
The team gave it their all but lost to the Lady Tigers by a final score of 35-26.
“I think our fight and effort was as good as it could be,” Head coach Baylee Atkins said. “Defensively they did everything I asked of them. Onto the next (game).”
The first quarter was a back-and-forth battle that saw things end with a 9-9 tie.
The JV Lady Blues took on the Glen Rose Lady Tigers in their first district game and fought back in the second half to pick up the victory with a final score of 27-17.
Coach Hunter Hayes said after the matchup that the keys to victory in this contest were all about staying focused under adversity and finding their shooting form as a team in the second half.
“They fought hard,” Hayes said. “They played great defense as well. They were getting their feet set and actually wanting to shoot. I said ‘Just believe in yourself,’ and they did.”
As students returned to the classroom this week, athletes continued their momentum across Graham and Newcastle.
This week, The Graham Leader is recognizing Briley Randall of the Lady Blues and Mikey Soito of the Bobcats as this week’s Athletes of the Week.
Briley Randall, Lady Blues Basketball
The Lady Blues played an early week matchup Tuesday, Jan. 6 against the Eula Lady Pirates and unfortunately could not come away with a victory, losing the matchup 60-25.
The Graham Steers continued their regular season schedule with an early week matchup against the Childress Bobcats, coming away with a thrilling victory.
The Steers picked up a one-point win 48-47 in the contest. After the first quarter Tuesday, Jan. 6, the Steers dropped 15 points.
Those points came from Bryce Martin, Nick Wankowicz and Brodie Martin. Bryce Martin and Wankowicz both scored six points on three midrange jumpers and Brodie Martin finished off the quarter with a three point jumpshot.
The Lady Blues hit the road for a game against the Eula Lady Pirates but were not able to get the job done, losing the matchup 60-25.
The game took place Tuesday, Jan. 6 and despite the loss the Lady Blues still performed well.
After the first quarter, the Lady Blues trailed the Ladycats 17-6. Briley Randall scored four points on a pair of midrange makes and Bentleigh Martin followed this up with her own midrange make.
An offensive fight for the Newcastle Bobcats against Gold-Burg at home led to a victory over the Bears 67-44.
Head coach James King said the team is finding their groove while consistently improving as the season progresses.
“The guys are getting better,” King said. “We’re starting to get healthy. We’ve got two starters back (from injury), and we're still waiting for one more to come back. I thought their effort tonight was really good.”
