A dozen first-quarter turnovers by University Heights Academy led to a crucial Graves County run that the Blazers never recovered from Tuesday, as the UHA girls’ basketball team dropped its home opener to the Eagles by a count of 55-24.
Using a smothering full-court press, Graves ultimately forced 20 Heights miscues in the contest and scored 12 unanswered points at one juncture in the opening frame to eventually build a 36-11 advantage by halftime.
Senior Meghan Adams tried to keep UHA within striking distance with an inspired interior attack in the second half, scoring nine of her 13 points after the midway break. Adams was the only Blazer in double figures, though, and was one of just three players to convert a field goal.
Fellow senior Lily Hendricks, who hit University Heights’ lone 3-pointer, added seven points in the loss. Clarissa Miller had a fourth-quarter bucket and Mallory Rager had a pair of free throws early in the first quarter to round out the Lady Blazer scoring.
Graves County (4-0) remained unbeaten in 2019 behind the lanky duo of Raychel Mathis (18 points) and Baily Wilson (16), who went to work on UHA’s 2-3 zone defense with a combined five treys and by combining to score 34 of the Lady Eagles’ 55 points.
GCHS also pulled down 10 offensive rebounds and outscored Heights 21-3 from beyond the arc, including a trio of treys from Mathis. The Blazers were held to single digits in all four quarters.
University Heights (1-2) will play its second straight home game at 6 p.m. Thursday, hosting regional foe Dawson Springs (2-0) at Blazer Gym. It’s the first of four straight matchups against 2nd Region opponents in the course of eight days.
(— Chris Jung)
SCORE BY QUARTER
1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q
GCHS (4-0) 21 15 12 7 – 55
UHA (1-2) 7 4 6 7 – 24
INDIVIDUAL SCORING
GCHS: Raychel Mathis 18, Baily Wilson 16, Nealey Jackson 5, Ellie Carter 3, Anna Whitaker 3, Callie Jackson 2, Chloe Dawson 2; UHA: Meghan Adams 13, Lily Hendricks 7, Mallory Rager 2, Clarissa Miller 2
3-POINTERS
GCHS: 7 (Mathis 3, Wilson 2, N. Jackson, Whitaker); UHA: 1 (Hendricks)
