The Granger Lady Lions girls’ varsity basketball team cruised to a commanding 48-12 victory over the Thorndale Bulldogs on Tuesday, Jan. 7, while Head Coach Kendall Cotten celebrated his 150th career basketball win at Granger. The victory also secured the Lady Lions a playoff berth halfway through the district season.
It was the first time in eight years that the Lady Lions held an opponent under 15 points, a feat last achieved in a 33-14 win over San Juan Diego in 2017.
Senior shooting guard Sofia Bernal got Granger off to a hot start, sinking a threepointer to give the Lady Lions an early lead. Her shot sparked a 9-1 run, capped by a fast-break layup from senior forward Kelsey Dittrich to make it 12-1. Senior guard Marissa Hall added another fast-break layup, helping the Lady Lions close the first quarter with a 19-6 advantage.
Granger’s defense smothered Thorndale in the second quarter, holding the Bulldogs scoreless while scoring 15 unanswered points to take a 34-6 lead into halftime. Bernal opened the third quarter with another three-pointer, extending the lead to 37-8.
Sophomore guard/ forward Jasmine Leamer fueled the Lions’ strong defensive showing with multiple steals that led to points in the third quarter.
The Lady Lions sealed the win with a 14-6 run in the final period, dominating on both ends of the floor. Granger limited Thorndale to just 15% shooting while racking up 26 steals.
Offensively, the Lady Lions shot 31% from the field.
This was the second straight game in which Granger held an opponent under 20 points, following a 67-17 blowout of McDade on Friday, Jan. 3.
With the win, the Lady Lions improved to 19-6 overall and 6-0 in district play.
Granger will return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 14, traveling to Holland for a 6 p.m. tipoff.
Granger Lions senior shooting guard Sofia Bernal looks on versus the Thrall Tigerrettes during the 2023-2024 season. File photo
