Lady Lions climb out of an 11-point hole, stave off late Graham surge for 40-36 victory

February 4, 2023 at 2:58 pm Updated: February 4th, 2023 at 4:09 pm Derrick Stuckly

Kimber Green (12) scored a team-high 12 points for Brownwood (17-18, 4-4), which will likely face District 5-4A runner-up Lubbock Estacado in the bi-district round in Sweetwater on Tuesday, Feb. 14.

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GRAHAM – The playoff-bound Brownwood Lady Lions used a 16-1 run during the second and third periods to erase an 11-point deficit en route to a 40-36 victory over the Graham Lady Blues in Saturday’s District 6-4A and regular season finale.

Trailing by a 17-6 count early in the second period, the Lady Lions (17-18, 4-4) closed the half with the final eight points. Down 17-14 at halftime, Brownwood scored seven of the first eight points to grab its first lead since 3-2 on a Mady Pyle at 5:46 that pushed the Lady Lions in front, 21-18.

“We had to go to full court man to get us going a little bit and we were fortunate enough to get them to turn the ball over there in the second quarter to get back into it and cut the lead down to three before halftime,” said Lady Lions 14th-year head coach Heather Hohertz. “We didn’t want the game to get away from us and the girls really responded well and it helped us get some energy and go on a streak.”

Brownwood gradually extended its lead, carrying a 29-21 edge into the fourth quarter that stood at 37-25 late in the fourth quarter. Graham (2-22, 0-7) then reeled off 11 unanswered points to close the gap to 37-36 with just under a minute left. But Pyle and Hannah Dean combined for three free throws in the final 20 seconds to secure the victory.

“We were up 10 with two minutes to go and we got a little lax,” said Hohertz, whose team also beat Graham 40-36 at Warren Gym on Jan. 13. “Credit to Graham because their record doesn’t reflect the way they play. They play hard to the very last buzzer and we relaxed and we can’t do that. We have to play through the final whistle and instead we gave up some turnovers that led to easy baskets in the back court. But we found a win to win, and that’s what counts right now.”

Kimber Green finished with a team-high 12 points for the Lady Lions on four three-pointers, trailed by Pyle with 11 points, Deen with nine, Miranda Northcutt with three, Icess Hall and Kassidy Wooten with two each, and Talasia Green with one point.

Brownwood converted just 22 percent (10 of 46) of its shots, including 28 percent (6 of 21) of its treys, and 67 percent (14 of 21) of its free throws. The Lady Lions committed 21 turnovers but pulled down 28 rebounds, tallied 17 steals and dished out seven assists.

For Graham, Emilee Gordy scored a game-high 13 points.

The 6-4A third seed Lady Lions will likely face District 5-4A runner-up Lubbock Estacado in the bi-district round in Sweetwater on Tuesday, Feb. 14.