LocalSportsJournal.com
GRANT – Foul trouble and physical play pushed the Grant girls’ basketball team to a 64-57 overtime loss to CSAA opponent Morley Stanwood on Friday night.
“We were closing in on a 20-point lead and we got our third foul on four of our key players, two of which took away our inside presence and we were forced to go zone to stop them from pounding it inside,” said Grant coach Josh Delamater.
The Tigers led 32-23 by halftime, but had their lead cut to just two points after three quarters of play. Morley Stanwood fought to tie up the game at 57 by the end of regulation and the Tigers had no answers in extra minutes.
Julie Ashbaugh put up 14 points for the Tigers and Natalia Rodriguez added 12 points. Bella Welch scored 11 points.
“We’ve talked about little things all season and they were the difference in the game tonight,” Delamater said. “On top of that, we have to respond better to physical play.
“We are not a big, physical team and if you look at all five of our losses this season, physical play is a major factor and we have to be more prepared for that,” Delmater said. “However, I am extremely proud of our girls and they played a great game. We just came up short.”
Grant (13-5, 8-2) will compete in the CSAA tournament on Tuesday.
