Grafton High’s girls basketball team solidified itself as the favorites to repeat as Bay Rivers District champions after defeating Lafayette 67-49 on Thursday night.
The Rams, which added senior transfer Keyana Brown, an Old Dominion University signee, seemed to be the only team with a realistic shot at challenging Clippers this season.
And with two of Grafton’s key players — Christa Hall and Renee Roe — sidelined with a knee injury, Thursday night seemed like as good a chance as any to snap the Clippers’ 29-game winning streak against district opponents.
Lafayette was good at times, especially during a third-quarter run when the Rams overcame a 15-point halftime deficit to make it a single-digit game, but Grafton got huge performances from two of its unsung players, point guard Emily Beyer and forward Savannah Baxley, to extend their streak to 30 in a row.
Beyer was the offensive spark in the first half and led all scorers with 19 points and dished out five assists while Baxley, in addition to tallying eight points and 12 rebounds, left her mark on defense where she limited Brown (18 points) to 5 of 19 shooting from the floor.
“It was definitely a challenge because she has so many moves,” Baxley said of marking Brown. “But my teammates helped out a lot, especially in our triangle-and-two; I could definitely depend on them. It was a team effort.”
Clippers’ coach Tommy Bayse was pleased with the win, but said his team is still adjusting to new roles in light of the recent injuries.
“We’re a much better basketball team than we showed tonight,” Bayse said. “We’re still getting used to not having Christa and Renee, but I’ll give Lafayette the credit. They’re a good team, much improved, and Keyana is a great player.”
Grafton scored the first three buckets of the game to take a quick 6-0 lead, but the Rams responded immediately out of a timeout on a three-point play by Keyana Brown and a 3-pointer from the corner by Indyah Brown.
The rest of the first quarter was relatively sloppy as both teams tried to set the tone with pressure defense.
Grafton blew the game open with a 16-2 run to start the second quarter to take a 27-9 lead as Beyer heated up from the floor, hitting an array of jumpers from mid-range and outside. Beyer finished the half with 14 of her game-high 19 points as the Clippers held a 29-14 advantage at the break.
“Olivia [Wilson] told us before the game to just let your points come in the flow of the offense and not force things, and that’s what happened” Beyer said.
Just as Bayse told his team during halftime, the Rams would not go down quietly and opened the third quarter with a 15-7 run to get back into the game as Keyana Brown seemed to be finding her stride offensively.
Keyana Brown would cut Grafton’s lead to single digits for the first time since early in the second quarter after blocking a shot on defense, collecting the rebound and going coast-to-coast for a layup to make it a 37-29 game.
Beyer would silence the run with a big three at the other end, but Lafayette point guard Kenya Holliday answered by burying a 3-point bucket before knocking down 1 of 2 attempts from the free throw line to cut the deficit to seven, 40-33.
That’s when Grafton’s two top players, Wilson and Hannah Olson, sparked an 8-0 run to end the quarter and take a 15-point lead into the final eight minutes. Hayley Marshall, who provided a nice scoring punch with 13 points, knocked down one of her two 3’s during the run.
“We kept our composure and never panicked when they made their runs,” Bayse said. “Having four seniors on the floor helps.”
The fourth quarter was never in doubt as Grafton padded its lead to 53-34 two minutes in.
Wilson finished the game with 12 points and seven rebounds while Olson added nine points and seven rebounds.
Indyah Brown was Lafayette’s second leading scorer with eight points while Holliday chipped in with six.
Rams first-year coach Chris Brown said his team will learn and grow from the loss.
“We needed an experience like this,” Coach Brown said. “We got away from attacking the basket and settled for too many perimeter shots. Instead of staying patient, we got sped up and that led to taking quick shots or not making the right read. Experienced teams don’t do that, and that’s where we’re at. We’ll work on it and be better next time.”
Grafton 67 Lafayette 49
Grafton- 11 18 19 19 – 67
Lafayette- 7 7 19 16 – 49
Grafton (2-0, 2-0 BRD)- Beyer 19, Marshall 13, Wilson 12, Olson 9, Baxley 8, Smith 6. Totals 27 10-21; 67.
Lafayette (1-1, 1-1 BRD)- K. Brown 18, I. Brown 8, Holliday 6, Allison 4, Moorodium 4, Wiltshire 3, Strong 2, Bland 2. Totals 17 12-18; 49.
