GRAFTON -- Audra Hall scored 13 points and sophomore Jamie Parker added 12 and several key assists as the Lewis County Minutemaids knocked off Grafton, 47-41.
After a first half that ended with the teams deadlocked at 19, the Minutemaids (2-1, 2-1 Big 10) bolted out to a 10 point lead, 31-21, on the strength of a 12-2 run highlighted by a pair of Hall 3-pointers and a pair of Parker jumpers to open the second half.
"Audra's our senior and played hard defense tonight and made big threes," LCHS coach Gary Stout said. "(Parker) stepped up and made real big plays."
The Bearcats (1-1, 1-1 Big 10) would quickly make the lead evaporate, however, largely thanks to senior Tia Lafferty.
Lafferty would score four straight points, one a baseline jumper off a feed from fellow senior Heather McDaniel and another on a putback, to draw Grafton to within four at 33-29 with 1:42 left in the quarter. After a jump shot by Brandi Patton, Lafferty brought the Bearcats all the way back with a bucket off a Patton assist with 53 seconds left in the third that knotted the game at 33 heading into the fourth.
The game would still be tied, this time at 39, heading into the game's final two minutes. With 1:53 remaining, Lewis County took the lead for good when Hall drained a three from the left side off a Parker assist to put the Minutemaids up 42-39.
After a pair of free throws by Grafton's Julie Bolyard, Lewis' Lindsey Casto buried a 3-pointer from the left elbow to extend the lead to 45-41 with :43 remaining.
Brittany Freeman would add a pair of free throws with :19 remaining to ice the game.
Grafton's Janel O'Brien led all scorers with 14 and Lafferty finished with 10 -- all coming in the second half.
"There were a lot of big plays tonight," Stout said. "Anybody could have won this ballgame."
Sports writer Chris Vannoy can be reached at 626-1444 or by e-mail at sports@exponent-telegram.com
