Sports

It was another successful week of fall and winter sports for Graham athletics.

This week, The Graham Leader is recognizing Addison Gober of the junior varsity Lady Blues and Mike Garcia of the Steers as Athletes of the Week. 

Addison Gober, Lady Blues Junior Varsity Basketball

Both the junior varsity and varsity Lady Blues shined in their games Thursday, Nov. 20 against the Bowie Lady Rabbits. 

However, the junior varsity team was simply dominant with a 48-13 blowout victory. 

The JV Lady Blues picked up another win and defensively dominated the Bowie Lady Rabbits.

The Lady Blues held the Lady Rabbits to just three points during the first three quarters of play Thursday, Nov. 20.

“They’re rotating very well and anticipating unbelievably well,” coach Hunter Hayes said. “They’re bought in, they’re bending their legs and anticipating passes and getting their fingertips on the ball. That’s why they’re getting so many steals.”

The Lady Blues had their first close game against the Bowie Lady Rabbits and pulled off a thrilling come-from-behind victory.

Head coach Baylee Atkins was proud of the team for their performance throughout the game Thursday, Nov. 20.

“I could not be more proud of their composure,” Atkins said. “We got a little frazzled there for a second but finally found their center and started playing as a team.”

The Graham Steers are area champions after their defeat of the Lubbock-Cooper Liberty Patriots in a back and forth matchup where Graham pulled away for the victory.

Head coach Clay McChristian talked after the game Friday, Nov. 21 about being proud of his team’s fight.

“That’s a good ball club over there (the Patriots). They’re 10-1 for a reason. I was just proud of the way our kids battled. Our offense battled tonight, our defense battled tonight, we gave up some plays early on but against a good team that’s going to happen,” McChristian said.

The Newcastle Bobcats closed out a successful season in the area round of playoffs against the Water Valley Wildcats.

From the start, Newcastle found themselves behind in the game Friday, Nov. 21.

The Wildcats scored first to take an 8-0 lead and the Bobcats struggled to get the run game going early as they were stuffed on their offensive drive following the Wildcats score.

Water Valley marched down the field again to score their second touchdown of the first quarter on a rushing play to make it 16-0.

The Graham Steers opened their season with a dominating victory over the Millsap Bulldogs. 

The Steers blew out the Bulldogs 72-35 in a statement win Tuesday, Nov. 18.

“Anytime you score 70 right out of the gate, I think it’s a big deal,” head coach Quinton Fossett said. “We’re hard to guard and we don’t care who scores.”

The Steers started the game jumping out to a 12-5 lead after the first quarter. 

While the Lady Blues volleyball season came to an end in the bi-district playoff matchup against Frenship Memorial, the athletes are being celebrated for their performance throughout the season.

Overall, the Lady Blues had finished their season with a 28-14 record and in the top five in their district. 

Up and down the board the team had veteran leadership and talent and the performances of these athletes were recognized with district honors. 

Three players on the Lady Blues were recognized as first team all-district players. 

The Graham Lady Blues continued their hot start to the season to improve to a 3-0 record on the season after beating the Windthorst Trojanettes. 

This was another dominant win as the Lady Blues finished with a final score of 55-35. 

From the jump Tuesday, Nov. 18, the Lady Blues were out in front and never lost the lead. 

Graham led by six after the first quarter 17-11. Mayci Ryans hit a three pointer while Tara Dawson hit a trio of midrange shots for six points. 

Graham sports is going through a shift from summer into winter sports with the start of basketball season.

This week, The Graham Leader is recognizing Adi Pinkston of the Lady Blues and Nick Wankowicz of the Steers as Athletes of the Week. 

Adi Pinkston, Lady Blues Basketball

The Lady Blues were off to a great start to begin the season, jumping out to a 3-0 regular season record after defeating the Windthorst Trojanettes. 

The JV Lady Blues continued their hot start to the regular season with another win over the Wichita Falls Legacy Lady Leopards. It was a close victory but the Lady Blues were able to pull away. 

The game took place Saturday, Nov. 15 and the Lady Blues pulled off a 28-21 victory. 

Graham had a little bit of a quiet first quarter trailing 6-4 after the first quarter. They also trailed after the second quarter trailing by two points 9-7.