Red Devils Tame Cats
February 13, 2009 By Denis Vass of Graham High School
For the 2nd consecutive night, Graham posted a triple-header win over a big-game cat. Graham bested the Jaugars of Carrboro tonight in a Mid-State 2-A Conference game.
In the JV game, Graham's JV team ground out a 61-54 victory.
In the girl's game, Graham's Coach Kyle Ward turned to his underclassmen to lead the Red Devils to their 20th win of the 2008-2009 campaign.
For the 2nd straight night, Graham (20-3, 16-1) came out smoking hot, as they bolted to an 11-0 lead before the Jaugars managed to trim the twine with 2:55 left in the 1st period. Graham led 17-5 after one period of play.
With Beth Miller playing less than half of the game, Sophomore Kaila Lea scored 11 1st half points, while Freshman Caroline Enoch added 6 1st half points as Graham rolled to a 30-18 halftime lead.
Graham's defense thoroughly frustrated Carrboro the 2nd half as they only managed to hit 3 of 24 shots, scoring 9 points total. Carrboro shot 24% (11 of 45) for the game. Graham continued their shooting streak, hitting 24 of 57 shots for a 42% pace.
Kaila Lea led Graham with 15 points, while Beth Miller added 10 points and 5 assists. Sophomore Shelby Hall continuted to show her strength in the post as she scored 9 points and snared 9 rebounds. Freshman Caroline Enoch scored 8 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. Freshman Alex Taylor grabbed 3 rebounds and dished out 3 assists.
The fresh attitude and spunk the underclassmen provided will definitely aid the Red Devils during the upcoming state playoffs in their quest to secure a 3rd consecutive spot in the 2-A Championship.
In the nightcap, the Graham (13-10, 11-7) boys steadily pulled away from a scrappy Carrboro bunch. Carrboro led 16-14 after one and 30-29 at the half.
In the 2nd half, Graham's defense turned it up a notch as they were able to create points off of numerous turnovers. Marquise Richmond scored 12 of his game-high 20 points the 2nd half.Richmond added 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 5 assists.
Nolan Solis tossed in 14 points, while Dominque Pass added 10.
Cardin Jones led Carrboro with 18 points, while team mate David Brooks added 14 points.
Graham faces Cummings Friday night in the final regular season matchup. The Graham girls can claim their 3rd consecutive Mid-State 2-A Conference regular Season Championship with a win. The boys are seeking a high seed for the conference. |