ST. PARIS – Graham struggled offensively and Triad made the Falcons pay, winning a non-league boys basketball game, 62-47, Tuesday night.
Both teams came out looking loose in the first quarter, with several turnovers, fouls and missed shots. Triad was able to muster a 12-6 lead, but looked thoroughly uncomfortable with Graham’s pressure defense.
“We did a good job after calming down. They got us uncomfortable,” Triad Coach Matt McCurdy said. “We didn’t handle it well at the beginning, but our guys calmed down and were strong with the basketball.”
The result was a rough second period for Graham, which continued to struggle making shots. Triad tightened up and began sharing the basketball, mounting a 27-9 lead at halftime.
“When we’re unselfish offensively, we’re pretty tough to handle. We have four guys that can space you out and drive it, but those four guys can also shoot it,” McCurdy said.
Ryan Boyd finished with 22 points for Triad. Hadley LeVan had 11 points and Briley Harlan scored 10.
Graham had a little fight left in it, but couldn’t ever really get back in the game.
“The style we’re playing, you can lose to anybody. We’re gambling. We’re trying to figure out some stuff that’s different,” Graham Coach Mike Smart said. “And with the home crowd, we started to ‘open gym’ it. And we’re not good enough to ‘open gym’ it.”
Andrew Ford scored 22 points for Graham, but was the only player in double figures.
The Falcons will be looking to find some consistency in the coming weeks, while Triad will continue improving its already multi-faceted offense.
In the jayvee game, Graham won 46-26. Chase Adams and Tyler Dunham each scored 10 points.
On Friday, Graham (0-2) plays at Urbana while Triad (2-0) plays at Greeneview.
