The Graham Steers closed out the year 2020 and opened 2021 with victories last week with home wins over Cleburne and Petrolia. The wins extend the Steers’ winning streak to open the season with a four-game winning streak.
Graham 42, Cleburne 23
In basketball, some teams live and die by the 3-point shot. Cleburne opted to play by this strategy to its detriment Thursday in a New Year’s Eve matinée.
The Lady Blues returned from Christmas break in a big way Tuesday. After having a week off from game action, the Lady Blues took advantage of strong first-half defense to post a 52-39 victory over the visiting Springtown Lady ‘Pines.
Lady Blues head coach Ky Graham said after the game that a strong start against Springtown was important. In scouting, he noticed the Lady ‘Pines’ struggles to play all four quarters.
The Lady Blues traveled to Olney Monday for one last game before entering a break for Christmas. The Lady Cubs posed little challenge as the Lady Blues walked away with a dominating 64-12 victory.
A 17-3 first-quarter advantage was all the Lady Blues needed to jump ahead and never look back. The game opened with an 11-0 run by the Lady Blues. Olney was denied points until the 3:36 mark in the opening quarter. Maddie Mandela scored five points in the run, Kate Gober added four.
Lady Blues coach Ky Graham did not consider his team an underdog as the team entered Friday’s home game against the then-ranked 4A No. 17 Stephenville Honeybees. The Lady Blues did not look like an unranked team with a losing record as they battled to the last-second in a 44-40 loss.
It was the 3-point basket that proved fatal to the Lady Blues. The first of nine made at the 5:53 mark in the first quarter. The basket, part of a 4-0 run, drew the first Lady Blues timeout of the game.
The Graham ISD Board of Trustees approved the purchase of a new scoreboard for Newton Field Wednesday during a regular meeting, replacing the 13-year-old scoreboard which currently is on the field.
The district has been working with the company ACE Sports to design the new scoreboard which will be a 23’x43’ LED video scoreboard. The overall size of the new structure will be 37’x43’ and will cost the district $618,669.66.
The Lady Blues’ defense continued to improve Tuesday night at home. By taking advantage of 24 turnovers, including 18 unforced, the Lady Blues defeated Seymour 38-15.
Even when the visitors were able to get shots, they struggled to hit them. The Panthers were held without a field goal until 6:42 remaining in the second quarter. The sole point in the first quarter via a free throw with 5:49 remaining in the first.
All seemed lost with a 35-7 halftime deficit. Quarterback Brandon Tennison was having his way with the Steers’ defense while the offense struggled to find the end zone. The Steers ran out for the second half to go down swinging at their season came to an end with a 35-21 loss to Gilmer in the state semifinal Friday night in Prosper.
Defense has not been a problem for the Lady Blues this season. Hitting shots and giving up points from the free-throw line continue to be the issues. While the fouls were cleaned up against 4A No. 7 Decatur Monday night, missing shots continue to plague the Lady Blues who fell to the Lady Eagles 36-27.
All nearly seemed lost with less than a minute left to play and the Graham Steers trailing by one point in the 4A Division II Region I final against the Celina Bobcats. Hunter Lanham, Tre Alveraz and finally Chandler Dyer completed the movie-script ending to send the Steers to the state semifinal.
The drive started with 2:20 remaining on the clock and the Bobcats leading 21-20. After a penalty against the Bobcats on a punt, the Steers found themselves in prime position until the wheels started rattling and appeared to be falling off.
It seemed like déjà vu for the Lady Blues Saturday afternoon when the team hosted Merkel. After a strong first-quarter showing, the Lady Blues found themselves in foul trouble and fell to the visiting Badgers 39-34.
The Lady Blues fed Hannah Isom in the paint early at the start and found success. She opened the game with seven straight points to set the tone in the first quarter. Her 11 points in the first outscored the entire Merkel offense, which had 9.
