Grafton Girls Outlast Tabb 53-43 for Share of First Place in Bay Rivers

By Will Armbruster Friday, February 03, 2012

 

Grafton point guard Rose Mulherin says the first five minutes out of halftime are almost always “the deciding ones.” It’s a hard theory to argue with, given that in their only two losses of the season this year, the Clippers have been outscored a combined 28-8 during the third quarter.

 

So it’s no mystery what Grafton head coach Tommy Bayse discussed with his team Thursday night before exiting the locker room to start the second half with a slim 24-23 lead over rival Tabb.

“I told them let’s not repeat our third quarter from the last time (against Tabb), said Bayse, referring to the first meeting between the two schools when Grafton managed just a single point in the third period before eventually falling 56-52 in double overtime.

There would be no repeat - Olivia Wilson made sure of that with a jumper on the Clippers’ first possession of the half. That prompted Bayse to let his players on the bench know, “We’ve already done better than the last time (against Tabb).”

As good of a sign it was to open the period in such fashion, Grafton’s 8-0 run to close out the third quarter was the biggest difference. With it their lead grew to 40-32, and that was plenty enough for Mulherin and Co. to hold on to thanks to solid free-throw shooting down the stretch. The final score was 57-47.

“We really wanted to come out of halftime strong,” said Mulherin, who finished with a game-high 22, including a 9-10 shooting mark from the free-throw line. “Coach [Bayse] told us we had to pick up the intensity because we knew the next five minutes would be the deciding ones.”

With the victory, Grafton (18-2, 14-2 Bay Rivers) moves into a tie for first place with the Tigers (17-3, 14-2 Bay Rivers), who could have clinched the district title outright with a win. Instead, both sides must win out to share the title, which would leave the district tournament to decide the Bay Rivers’ top seed in the Region I tournament.

“We still have a tough game left against Jamestown; they beat us last time but this time they’ve got to come to our place for senior night,” Bayse said.

Tabb also has a tough stretch to close out the regular season with games against Warhill and Smithfield, both on the road.

“It’s nice to have our destiny in our own hands now and not have to rely on anyone to lose,” Mulherin added.

Despite shooting 3-9 and turning the ball over eight times in the opening quarter, the Clippers trailed only 13-10 after the first period.

Olivia Wilson got going for Grafton in the second scoring six of her 14 points by being active in the paint.

Emily Piazza paced the Tigers with 10 of her team-high 18 points in the first half, mostly on penetration to the basket.

After the Clippers jumped out to a 30-25 lead midway through the third quarter, a jumper by Natalie Joseph and two free throws by Piazza brought the Tigers within one, 30-29 with 2:30 left in the quarter.

Hannah Olson, who played a strong all-around game scoring 12 points, sparked an 8-0 run to end the quarter with back-to-back buckets, and Emily Beyer closed out the period with a layup from Mulherin in the final seconds.

Olson, Mulherin and Wilson all continued to take the ball strong to the hole in the fourth quarter as Grafton opened the final period scoring eight of the first 10 points to extend their advantage 48-34.

Bayse was pleased with his team’s aggressiveness, taking it to Tabb’s defense rather than settling for perimeter jump shots.

“[Tabb] is a good defensive team and when they play their man-to-man it’s hard to get three-point shots all the time,” Bayse said. “You’ve got to take it to the basket and maybe kick it out for a three every once in a while, and I thought we did a much better job of that tonight.”

Bayse was also pleased with his team’s balance offensively.  Mulherin, who was the only player to score in double figures in Grafton’s first meeting with Tabb, was joined by Wilson (14 points) and Olson (12 points in double figures.

“Everybody knows about Rose, she’s always going to get the most attention,” Bayse said. “So the other girls had to step up tonight, and if we continue to do that, the shots are going to come easier for everyone.”

Another key contributor for the Clippers was Savannah Baxley, who continued to do the dirty work quietly, but effectively. She grabbed seven rebounds and blocked four shots and did a terrific job limiting Tabb’s second-chance opportunities in the second half.

“We knew it was going to come down to heart tonight,” Mulherin said. “[Tabb] is a good basketball team and we are too, and when you put two teams like that together it often comes down to the little things.”

Grafton 57  Tabb 47

Grafton 10  14  16  17 – 57

Tabb 13  10  9  15 – 47

Grafton (18-2, 14-2 BRD)- Mulherin 22, Wilson 14, Olson 12, Roe 4, Beyer 2, Hall 2, Baxley 1. Totals 21; 14-22 57.

Tabb (17-3, 14-2 BRD)- Piazza 18, Fenton 12, Mahan 8, Macfarlane 5, Swenson 2, Joseph 2. Totals 17; 9-16 47.