It is virtually impossible to shut down a player like Lafayette senior standout Keyana Brown entirely, but Grafton High seems to have developed a formula for keeping the Bay Rivers District’s leading scorer and Old Dominion University commit in check.
For the second time this season, the Clippers held Brown to her worst shooting night of the season and, as a result, beat Lafayette 51-26 on the Rams’ home floor Thursday to gain the inside track to a fourth-consecutive district title.
Back in early December, the Clippers defeated Lafayette 67-49 in a matchup of early-season Bay Rivers District favorites after holding Brown, who has averaged better than 22 points per contest since that game, to 18 points of 5-19 shooting from the field.
When the district’s only two one-loss teams met again Thursday, the Clippers, particularly Savannah Baxley, limited Brown to 16 points on 6-17 shooting (0-3 3-PT) from the field. Baxley said she picked up a few things from guarding Brown the first time back in December and takes pride in sacrificing points and rebounds for other contributions such as defense that go unnoticed.
“We knew that stopping her would be the key,” said Baxley, who spent most of the game shadowing Brown out of the Clippers’ triangle-and-two and diamond-and-one defensive sets. “I just tried to anticipate her spin moves and rely on everyone else to help if she got by me.”
Grafton coach Tommy Bayse said it was not only his team’s best defensive effort of the season as the Rams collectively shot 10-52 from the floor as a team and committed 22 turnovers, but also one of the better all-around performances of the year, as well.
Olivia Wilson (15 points, 13 rebounds) and Emily Beyer (14 points) provided the offensive spark in the second half after neither side could throw the ball in the ocean during the first two quarters. Hannah Olson tallied only six points but offered 10 rebounds, five steals and three blocks while Baxley chipped in with four rebounds and two blocks to go along with a terrific defensive effort on Brown.
“Coach Bayse always preaches that there’s no “I” in team; everyone has their own role,” Olson said. “This [win] was big because this game decided No. 1 in the district, and we feel like that’s our title to defend.”
Things did not start well for Grafton as Brown hit each of her first three shots from the field, but Baxley — with help from Hayley Marshall, who filled in covering Brown for a bit in the second half when Baxley picked up her fourth foul — clamped down from there and did not allow her another bucket until a minute-and-a-half into the final period.
The problem was the Clippers could not put together much offense themselves as the first half was a defensive struggle that ended with Grafton clinging to a 16-12 lead. Together, the two teams combined to shoot 10 of 56 from the floor.
“The first half was just a good defensive battle. None of us could hit anything,” Lafayette Chris Brown said. “To beat good teams you have to knock down shots, and we didn’t. Both teams came in well-prepared, they just made the better adjustments at halftime. They’re the defending district champs for a reason.”
Bayse said few adjustments were made at the half. He just told his team to relax and let the offense come, and it did.
Early in the third quarter, Wilson and Beyer knocked down the first made 3-point buckets of the game and went on to score 10 of the first 13 points of the period as Grafton quickly jumped out to a 28-15 lead on Robyon Smith’s layup assisted by Beyer.
The Clippers would go on to lead 32-17 at the end of the third as the Rams shot just 2-11 from the floor during the period, and they did not let the momentum go to waste.
Grafton turned up its defensive pressure and forced Lafayette into a turnover on four of the Rams’ first six possession of the fourth. The Clippers turned that into a 13-5 run — with all six buckets coming in the paint — to open the final quarter as Beyer, Marshall and Wilson aggressively attacked the basket.
“We stopped settling for jump shots,” Bayse said.
Lafayette, meanwhile, continued to turn the ball over. The Rams coughed up nine of their 21 turnovers during the final quarter, as Grafton led 45-25 with four minutes to go in regulation.
Grafton (10-1 BRD), winners of six in a row, now owns sole possession of first place in the district standings while Lafayette (9-2 BRD), which saw its nine-game winning streak snapped, dropped into a three-way tie for second with Poquoson and Smithfield.
Grafton 51 Lafayette 26
Grafton: 10 6 16 19 – 51
Lafayette: 7 5 5 9 – 26
Grafton (12-2, 10-1 BRD)- Wilson 15, Beyer 14, Marshall 6, Baxley 6, Olson 6, Smith 4. Totals 17 15-22; 51.
Lafayette (11-2, 9-2 BRD)- Brown 16, Strong 4, Holiday 3, Bland 2, Macomber 1. Totals 8 6-15; 26.
