Grapeland Blasts Lovelady 99-60

Sandies Remain Atop District Standings

By Will Johnson

Messenger Reporter

GRAPELAND – The Grapeland Sandies took another step towards their 12^th consecutive district championship with a 99-60 thrashing of the Lovelady Lions on Tuesday evening.

The Sandies came into the game ranked #2 in the latest TABC rankings with an overall record of 28-1 while the Lions are in a battle with Centerville and Groveton for the third/fourth playoff seed out of District 20-2A.

Grapeland didn’t do Lovelady any favors on Tuesday night as the Sandies opened with a 36-point first quarter on their way to a 99-60 win.

The Sandies seemingly couldn’t miss in the opening period of play – and when they did – a Grapeland player was there for the rebound. BJ Lamb led the way for Grapeland with 11 first quarter points while Austin Driskell and Riley Murchison both knocked down eight. Cadarian Wiley worked inside for a pair of baskets while Dameion Smith had three. In addition, Keizion Ashford chipped in two points to help the Sandies take a 36-10 lead after one.

While the Grapeland offense was strong, the defense was equally as effective as they held the Lions to only 10 first quarter points. Seth Murray paced Lovelady with five while Shamar Terry had three and Jaiden Watts had two.

The second quarter saw the Sandies continue to stay hot from outside. Driskell hit a trio of three-pointers while Lamb had a pair of threes as part of his nine points in the period. Ashford also began to heat up as he dropped in eight. Wiley continued to make his presence known inside with four and TJ Snell got in on the act with two points to close out the half with Grapeland leading by a score of 68-24.

Murray continued to be a thorn in the side for Grapeland as the senior Lion dropped in seven second quarter points for Lovelady. Kaven Rollo found the scoring column with four while Watts added two and Keivon Skinner made one of two from the line to close out Lovelady’s first half.

As the second half got underway, Coach Blake Doughty began to give his reserve players some quality minutes on the court. Wiley continued his steady play in the paint with four while Driskell added three to his total. Ashford and Michael Dancer both chipped in two as the Sandies took a 79-46 lead into the final period.

With most of the Grapeland starters on the bench, the Lovelady offense began to get something going. Rollo poured in 11 points in the third quarter while Murray dropped in nine. Watts chipped in a basket for the Lions as Lovelady whittled the Grapeland lead down to 33.

The depth of the Sandies was on display during the fourth quarter as the reserves dropped 20 on the Lions and held Lovelady to 14. Jonathan Luce carried the load in the fourth with eight points. Both Lekerian Smith and Cooper Ward netted four while D. Smith and Snell had two apiece to help give Grapeland the 99-60 victory.

Lovelady’s fourth quarter points came from Murray with five while three other Lions – Skinner, Gilchrist and Harris – all had three points.

On the game, the Lions were led by Seth Murray with a game-high 26 points. Kaven Rollo netted 15 and Jaedin Watts had six. Keivon Skinner went for four while three other Lions had three apiece.

For the Sandies, every player on the roster scored at least two points. Austin Driskell and BJ lamb led the way with 20 apiece while both Keizion Ashford and Cadarian Wiley threw in 12. Wiley also pulled down 14 boards for the Sandies.

Jonathan Luce and Riley Murchison both had eight points apiece while Damion Smith dropped in five. Lekerian Smith, TJ Snell and Cooper Ward all put in four while Michael Dancer closed out the Grapeland scoring with two.

The Lions were back in action on Friday as they traveled to Leon to take on the Cougars. As of press time, however, the final score was unavailable.

The Sandies were also back on the court Friday as they hosted the Slocum Mustangs in game which would determine the District 20-2A championship. As of press time, however, the final score was unavailable.

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