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In a tale of two halves, the Gridley girls basketball team fell behind by as many as 22 points in the first half against the visiting Orland Trojans, before mounting a furious comeback which eventually fell short 54-46 at Farmers Hall.
Gridley (2-9, 0-1), entered the game with a firm defensive game plan, stop Orlands leading scorer Layla Ealy, who entered the game averaging nearly 20 points per game. The defensive scheme was successful in one respect as Ealy was held to just six points, but unfortunately for the Bulldogs, guard Destiny Thompson took the opportunity to begin red-hot, hitting four first quarter three-pointers in route to a 22-9 lead over Gridley at the end of one quarter.
“We came into the game ready to stop Ealy,” said interim head coach Javier Solis. “The girls followed through on the game plan, and did a good job. Unfortunately, their third scorer came out on fire and really put us in a hole.”
The lead stretched to as many as 22 points in the second quarter, and at halftime, the Bulldogs found themselves looking at a 35-18 deficit.
The second half proved to be a different story as Gridley began to find their game, and although their shooting percentage hovered under 50%, the Bulldogs began forcing Orland into turnovers with defensive pressure, and the up-tempo style of play began to take a toll on the legs of the Trojans.
“These eight girls on this team are in the best shape of their lives after playing short-handed all preseason,” said Solis. “I knew we would make a run in the second half as they got tired.” For the full story, and more photos, please pick up a 1/20/12 edition of The gridley Herald.
In a tale of two halves, the Gridley girls basketball team fell behind by as many as 22 points in the first half against the visiting Orland Trojans, before mounting a furious comeback which eventually fell short 54-46 at Farmers Hall.
Gridley (2-9, 0-1), entered the game with a firm defensive game plan, stop Orlands leading scorer Layla Ealy, who entered the game averaging nearly 20 points per game. The defensive scheme was successful in one respect as Ealy was held to just six points, but unfortunately for the Bulldogs, guard Destiny Thompson took the opportunity to begin red-hot, hitting four first quarter three-pointers in route to a 22-9 lead over Gridley at the end of one quarter.
“We came into the game ready to stop Ealy,” said interim head coach Javier Solis. “The girls followed through on the game plan, and did a good job. Unfortunately, their third scorer came out on fire and really put us in a hole.”
The lead stretched to as many as 22 points in the second quarter, and at halftime, the Bulldogs found themselves looking at a 35-18 deficit.
The second half proved to be a different story as Gridley began to find their game, and although their shooting percentage hovered under 50%, the Bulldogs began forcing Orland into turnovers with defensive pressure, and the up-tempo style of play began to take a toll on the legs of the Trojans.
“These eight girls on this team are in the best shape of their lives after playing short-handed all preseason,” said Solis. “I knew we would make a run in the second half as they got tired.” For the full story, and more photos, please pick up a 1/20/12 edition of The gridley Herald.
