Sandiettes Blow by Bearettes in Season Opener, 60-49

By Will Johnson

Messenger Reporter

GRAPELAND – The Grapeland Sandiettes tipped off their 2019-2020 basketball season on Saturday, Nov. 9 as they welcomed the Brownsboro Bearettes to town for a battle of ranked teams.

The Sandiettes were ranked #6 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Class 2A preseason poll while the Bearettes were ranked #21 in Class 4A preseason poll.

Volleyball season had just ended for the Sandiettes on Tuesday, Nov. 5 so the 2018-2019 State Runners-up were a little bit rusty when they hit the basketball court four days later. Nevertheless, Grapeland showed they are still a force to be reckoned with in Class 2A as they defeated Brownsboro by a final score of 60-49.

As the game got underway, Brownsboro got two early buckets from Kentoya Woods before the Sandiettes could get going. After that, however, Grapeland began to play their game and when Teira Jones hit a jumper from the elbow, the Sandiettes took control of the game as they went on a 14-3 run to close out the first quarter.

A newcomer to the Sandiettes’ basketball program – Jessie Payne – paced Grapeland in the first quarter with two three-pointers as part of her eight points in the early stages of the game. KeKe Harris and Kenya Woods dropped in four apiece while Jones had two to help give the Sandiettes an 18-7 lead after the first quarter.

Brownsboro saw Woods drop in six while Allee Parker made one of two from the line.

The second quarter saw the Bearettes cut the Grapeland lead to only two before Payne nailed a shot from behind the arc to put Grapeland back up by five. Jones added four and Harris chipped in two as the Sandiettes went into the locker room at halftime with a 27-19 lead.

Woods led the Bearettes with six in the second quarter while Paris Miller added five and Allie Cooper chipped in a free throw.

After the break, the two teams played even in the third quarter. Jones showcased some of her All-State form as she dominated inside with nine points. Harris had four and Payne hit her fourth three of the game. Tatiyana Bowie also broke into the scoring column as she made one of two from the line.

Miller began to heat up for Brownsboro as she also poured in nine during the third quarter. Woods added another four to her total, while Mekhayla Moore netted a three and Alexis Rumbo made one of two from the charity stripe, to make the score 44-36 with eight minutes remaining in the game.

Try as they might, the Bearettes were never able to get closer than five. Moore had six and Miller hit a three while Rumbo and Woods both had two to round out the Brownsboro fourth quarter scoring.

Harris had five for Grapeland in the fourth quarter while both Jones and Woods added four. Payne closed out the Sandiettes’ scoring with her fifth, three-ball of the afternoon to help give Grapeland the 60-49 win.

On the game, Kentoya Woods led the Bearettes with 18 points. Paris Miller went for 17 and Mekhayla Moore had nine. Alexis Rumbo added three while both Allie Cooper and Allee Parker had one apiece.

Grapeland was led by Teira Jones with a game-high 19 points while Jessie Payne dropped in 17 during her debut as a Sandiette. KeKe Harris had 15, Kenya Woods went for eight and Tatiyana Bowie chipped in a free throw as the Sandiettes took their first step on the road back to San Antonio.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].

Similar Posts