Sandies Struggle against Tigers
Grapeland 71, Latexo 56
By Will Johnson
LATEXO – You can mark this one down as a bad game for Grapeland or an outstanding game for Latexo. Either way, no one expected the Sandies to struggle against the Tigers last Tuesday evening.
While the Sandies eventually won the District 20-2A contest by a final score of 71-56, the Tigers gave them all they wanted.
The game started out in typical Grapeland fashion with the Sandies’ pressure defense creating turnovers which led to offensive points. BJ Lamb netted five in the first quarter while Cadarian Wiley added four. Jonathan Luce converted an old-fashioned three-point play while Riley Murchison connected on a shot from behind the arc. In addition, Austin Driskell and Dameion Smith both had two apiece to help Grapeland take a 20-9 lead after the first period of play.
The Tigers’ points came from Carson Hardy with five while both Sam Jones and Justin Lumbreraz had two.
The second quarter saw the Sandies begin to pull away from the Tigers. Austin Driskell dropped in five while Wiley added another four to his total. Murchison drained his second three of the game while both Lamb and Keizion Ashford both had a basket to help Grapeland take a 36-15 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Sam Jones hit a three-pointer for Latexo and Kaden Gonzales also had three points to close out the Tigers’ first half scoring.
Following the break, Latexo came out with a renewed intensity and began to whittle down the 21 point deficit. Jones led the charge with eight points while Eli Filer had six and Hardy added a two.
Grapeland saw its lead cut to 14 points in the early part of the quarter before they rallied to push the lead back up to 21. Driskell went for another five while both Lamb and Ashford had four. Murchison chipped in two and Wiley converted one of two from the line to give the Sandies a 52-31 lead after three periods of play.
Latexo opened the fourth quarter on fire and cut the lead to 10 midway through the period. Jones poured in seven points while Filer had five Lumbreraz netted four, Hardy had two and Gonzales added one to close out the Latexo scoring.
Just when it seemed as if Latexo might actually make a run at the lead, a pair of three-pointers slowed the Tigers’ momentum. Ashford nailed a three as part of his seven points in the period and was joined by Murchison with seven of his own. Lamb had a three before he fouled out and Driskell added a pair of free throws as Grapeland held on to defeat Latexo, 71-56.
Latexo was led in scoring by Sam Jones with a game-high 20 points. Eli Filer knocked down 11 and Carson Hardy had nine. Tyler Lumbreraz went for six and Kaden Gonzales added four points to round out the Tigers’ scoring.
Grapeland was led in scoring by BJ Lamb and Riley Murchison with 15 points apiece. Austin Driskell was right behind then with 14 while Keizion Ashford dropped in 13. Cadarian Wiley worked inside for nine, Jonathan Luce had three and Dameion Smith chipped in a basket to close out the Sandies’ point production.
The Sandies were supposed to play the Teague Lions on Friday but the Lions cancelled. Grapeland will be back in action on Tuesday, Feb. 4 as they host the Leon Cougars.
The Tigers were back in action on Friday as they hosted the Leon Cougars for Homecoming. As of press time, however, a final score was unavailable.
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
