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ALBANY — Not many people outside of Alexander’s locker room thought the Spartans would walk away with a win on Thursday.
With Athens making the short trip to Albany at 9-0 in TVC play — including a 49-37 win over Alexander on Dec. 19 — the Bulldogs were the heavy betting favorites.
But Spartans coach Morgan Grinstead didn’t get that memo. Instead, she had a message for her girls and it landed beautifully.
“My message to the girls before the game was to just do what we need to do,” Grinstead said. “The little things, like boxing out and jamming cutters, stuff like that, those things make or break a game. I think we did that tonight. So our message was just to bring it to [Athens]. Don’t let them attack us. We have to be the attacker. I think we did a good job of that.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
While it didn’t seem to resonate early, Grinstead’s continuous preaching made a difference in the second half as Alexander (11-7, 7-2 TVC) climbed out of an early hole and handed the Bulldogs their first league loss by a 46-39 final.
“I’m very proud of these girls,” Grinstead. “We’ve been struggling a little bit just finishing games and just playing tough. We’ve been missing grit. I think we found that tonight and I’m just very proud of them. I hope this continues going into the tournament.”
Sophomore Kayden Bean was the driving force in helping her teammates find that grit that Grinstead alluded to.
The sharpshooter knocked down six 3-point field goals — four in the third quarter alone — and powered a momentum-swinging, game-changing 11-0 run that put the Spartans ahead for good.
“Tonight was a different night for [Bean]. She didn’t start like she normally does. We just wanted to try something new,” Grinstead said. “She came out just firing away. We rely on her to shoot the ball and we want her to shoot the ball as many times as she can. We have a green light for everybody. And when she wasn’t in the game, she was coaching on the sideline. That’s the difference. That put her above. When you have teammates like that, it puts your team above.”
Athens (14-4, 9-1 TVC) was white-hot to start the night from the floor.
The Bulldogs hit six of their first eight field goal attempts and forced six turnovers in the first eight minutes. That charge, led by Alexis Koopal and Asa Holcombe, allowed Athens to take a commanding 16-3 lead into the second quarter.
But when Alexander’s Kaylee Hudnall drained a triple to start the third, bringing the deficit to 10 at 16-6, it created a spark that later became a full-blown fire.
Bean dialed long distance for the first time at the 6:38 mark, followed by back-to-back buckets from Lily Ryder, cutting the Bulldogs’ lead to 20-14 with 5:18 left in the first half.
The two then traded buckets throughout the rest of the quarter before Athens took a 28-20 lead into the break.
PHOTOS: Images from Alexander’s win over Athens
But it was clear that Alexander had picked up momentum and it carried into the third.
Midway through the quarter, Bean nailed a triple to make it a 33-32 ballgame. Athens’ Quinn Banks then answered with a deep ball of her own on the other end, putting the Bulldogs ahead 36-32 with 3:59 to play.
However, that was Athens’ last score until the 6:39 mark in the fourth.
Ryder hit two free throws and a runner to tie the game with 3:20 remaining before Hudnall sank the back end of two freebies, giving the Spartans their first lead of the night at 37-36.
Bean then dialed long distance at the 1:59 mark before Hudnall got a bucket and a foul shot, completing an 11-0 run and giving Alexander a 43-36 lead going into the fourth.
“We’re starting to see this group’s progression through the years,” Grinstead said. “It just shows that the stuff we do is working. It’s rewarding. I’m proud of them and they’ve worked hard. They’re smart, too. They know the game.”
Athens put its best foot forward in the final eight minutes and even forced a 49-49 tie with 1:23 left, thanks to a lay-in from Holcombe. But Grinstead’s group wouldn’t be denied.
Hudnall scored with one minute remaining to make it 51-49 and the Spartans would hit 5-of-6 free throw tries down the stretch, pounding the nails in the coffin and sealing a benchmark victory.
“I think this was really one of our ‘star’ games,” Ryder said after the win. “Going into the game, we were so excited to play [Athens]. I think, as a team, we really wanted it. I think it showed. [Coaches] just really wanted us to lock in mentally. We needed rebounds and stops on defense and doing that started our offense. We really got going with some steals and runout lay-ups.”
Statistically, Ryder led her Spartans with 20 points, six rebounds and three assists while Bean posted 18 points — hitting six triples — alongside five boards and three helpers. Hudnall also made an impact, finishing with 11 points and three rebounds.
As a team, the Spartans shot a blistering 9-of-13 — or 69.2 percent — from the 3-point arc.
Holcombe paced the Bulldogs with 20 points, four rebounds and three assists while Koopal added 10 points and five rebounds. Banks also chipped in with nine points and five boards.
While Athens tries to get back in the win column on Saturday, hosting Logan, Alexander will return to action on Monday with a trip to Nelsonville-York.
“I think we have a really high ceiling if we play to our abilities,” Grinstead said. “Tonight was how we’re supposed to play. We’ve been struggling with that. So I hope it continues, because we can go deep in the tournament. I’ve got all the faith in the world in these girls. I hope they have the confidence. I try to pour that into them. I just think we have a good shot if we continue to play like we did tonight.”
BOX SCORE
Athens: 16-12-8-13 — 49
Alexander: 3-17-25-11 — 56
Athens: 19-54 FG, 9-12 FT, 2-14 3pt., 26 rebounds (Koopal 5, Banks 5), 10 turnovers, 9 assists (Holcombe 3). Scoring: Holcombe 20, Koopal 10, Banks 9, Stump 7, Chapman 3.
Alexander: 18-46 FG, 11-19 FT, 9-13 3pt., 31 rebounds (Moore 11), 18 turnovers, 10 assists (Ryder 3, Bean 3). Scoring: Ryder 20, Bean 18, Hudnall 11, Hubbard 2, Brookins 2, Moore 2, Allison 1.
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