Grace Shope becomes all-time scoring leader in Fairfield win over East Clinton
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
LEESBURG — Fairfield senior Grace Shope went the length of the court with the basketball to score the one point she’s waited for all offseason to become the Lady Lions’ all-time leading scorer on Monday in a 57-52 win over the East Clinton Lady Astros at Grandle Gymnasium.
Shope — who entered the game tied for the all-time lead — scored the game’s first basket when she went the length of the court and sank a layup after beating the defense of the visiting Lady Astros, giving her 1,201 points, surpassing the previous mark of 1,199 points set by Heather (Cox) Storer during her career. She broke the previous record held by Kay Cummings during the 2013-14 season.
The record-breaking basket came with 6:56 left on the first-quarter clock, giving FHS a 2-0 advantage.
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As for Shope, she led the Lady Lions in scoring with 16 points, as she made four two-point field goals and was 8-of-11 from the free-throw line. Following the game, the new all-time scoring leader spoke about the accomplishment.
“Coming in, I was obviously nervous about it. I was like, ‘OK, I’ve got to take my time and relax.’ At first I thought, ‘oh, it’s going to be too hard,’ but then it went in and I was just kind of like relaxed about it,” Shope told The Highland County Press. “Once I made it, it was kind of exciting. I’m glad it was two points and not like 25 because that would have been a lot more pressure.”
Shope — who now has scored 1,215 points — also spoke about how she was glad to achieve the accomplishment at the start of her senior season and can focus on other goals that await.
“It’s good because it keeps my mind sharp. It’s like, now what’s the next goal?” Shope said. “I really want to leave my mark, being a senior and everything. I obviously couldn’t do it without my team. They’ve been supportive, and they’ve always been so happy for me. It makes it a lot easier. We’ve gotten a lot closer through my years. It just makes it so much easier when you’re playing with your friends and everybody’s happy for you.”
Fairfield head coach Chad Hamilton shared his thoughts on Shope’s accomplishments, as he also was the head coach when Storer (née Cox) broke the scoring mark in 2014.
“Grace is now the girls leading scorer at our school, and when you surpass 1,200 points the first game of your senior year, you’re obviously doing something right,” he said. “She’s pretty priceless to our team. She does a little bit of everything, and we’re not the same when she’s not on the floor. She deserves everything she gets. She’s put the work in, and we expect a big total from her by the time she’s done.”
In the victory for the Lady Lions, also scoring in double figures was junior Brianna Barnes with 15 points (eight rebounds), including seven two-point baskets and one free throw. Next was senior Blake Adams with 11 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double, beginning the year with five two-point baskets and one made free throw.
“I thought Brianna Barnes, Blake Adams and Carli Reiber all played well,” Hamilton said. “Our post players boxed out well and got the big baskets when we needed them. I was really, really happy with our post play tonight.”
Following the celebration of Shope’s scoring accomplishment, the Lady Lions put their stamp on the first quarter with points from Shope, Barnes and a 3-pointer by Ashley Sowards with 3:28 left in the first-quarter clock for a 9-1 advantage. The lead went to 11-3 following a put-back basket by Adams with 3:04 on the first-quarter scoreboard.
As the quarter continued, the Lady Lions had scoring from Shope with three made free throws and another two-point basket in the paint, plus a free throw from Lauren Arnold for the 17-8 lead after eight minutes.
The lead went from nine points at the end of the first quarter to seven points once halftime arrived with East Clinton outscoring the host Lady Lions, 14-12 in the second frame. Fairfield had six players score points in the second but saw their lead fall to three points on two occasions following a 3-pointer by East Clinton’s Lacey Peterman at the top of the key with 6:01 on the clock and two free throws by Kaitlyn Talbott with 3:31 left in the first half.
FHS answered with two consecutive baskets by Adams and Shope for a seven-point lead, but another 3-pointer by Peterman brought the Lady Astros back to within four points of FHS. The quarter eventually ended with FHS gaining a point from Molly Thackston from the free-throw line and a put-back basket by Carli Reiber with 12 seconds on the scoreboard, giving FHS a 29-22 lead at halftime. Also scoring points in the second for the Lady Lions was Kami Magee.
“We had a really good start. They didn’t shoot well to begin with, but we knew they were going to come around and knock down some shots,” Hamilton said. “It got away from us a little bit in the third quarter, and we eventually lost the lead. I was really proud of the way we were able to battle back and hold our composure. We had a lot of subs coming in and out due to foul trouble. We were smart in the end and able to do the job.
“I’m always worried about foul trouble. Whenever we play defense, we’re aggressive. To be able to have a big lead and lose it, and then come back, that shows a lot about our girls. I was really proud of the way our girls fought back (Monday). I was happy with this. We’ve still got some work to do, but it was a good first game.”
The second half was tougher on the Lady Lions with East Clinton outscoring them 17-11 in the third quarter with EC eventually taking the lead with 47 seconds left in the quarter off a 3-pointer by Paige Lilly — who finished with 16 points — for a 39-38 score in favor of the visitors. FHS regained the lead with 44.4 seconds left in the third off two converted free throws by Samara Cannon for a 40-39 lead after three frames.
In the fourth, the Lady Lions lost that lead when the score was tied at 40, 28 seconds into the frame, off a free throw by Lilly. When FHS regained the lead with a 3-pointer by Cannon with 7:03 remaining in regulation, the Lady Astros answered with a 3-pointer from Peterman (her fourth of the game), tying the game at 43. After a layup by Kaitlin Durbin, EC took back the lead with 6:28 on the clock. Peterman finished with 12 points in the loss.
EC eventually built a three-point advantage, but a layup from Barnes and a three-point play by Shope pushed FHS back in front at 49-47 at the 4:33 mark of the quarter.
FHS didn’t lose the lead for the remainder of the game, taking a seven-point lead with 21 seconds remaining in the non-conference contest following a free throw by Adams.
In JV action, Fairfield lost to East Clinton, 36-19.
Next for the Lady Lions is a home game on Tuesday, Nov. 28 vs. Southeastern in a non-conference contest.
Shope — who entered the game tied for the all-time lead — scored the game’s first basket when she went the length of the court and sank a layup after beating the defense of the visiting Lady Astros, giving her 1,201 points, surpassing the previous mark of 1,199 points set by Heather (Cox) Storer during her career. She broke the previous record held by Kay Cummings during the 2013-14 season.
The record-breaking basket came with 6:56 left on the first-quarter clock, giving FHS a 2-0 advantage.
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As for Shope, she led the Lady Lions in scoring with 16 points, as she made four two-point field goals and was 8-of-11 from the free-throw line. Following the game, the new all-time scoring leader spoke about the accomplishment.
“Coming in, I was obviously nervous about it. I was like, ‘OK, I’ve got to take my time and relax.’ At first I thought, ‘oh, it’s going to be too hard,’ but then it went in and I was just kind of like relaxed about it,” Shope told The Highland County Press. “Once I made it, it was kind of exciting. I’m glad it was two points and not like 25 because that would have been a lot more pressure.”
Shope — who now has scored 1,215 points — also spoke about how she was glad to achieve the accomplishment at the start of her senior season and can focus on other goals that await.
“It’s good because it keeps my mind sharp. It’s like, now what’s the next goal?” Shope said. “I really want to leave my mark, being a senior and everything. I obviously couldn’t do it without my team. They’ve been supportive, and they’ve always been so happy for me. It makes it a lot easier. We’ve gotten a lot closer through my years. It just makes it so much easier when you’re playing with your friends and everybody’s happy for you.”
Fairfield head coach Chad Hamilton shared his thoughts on Shope’s accomplishments, as he also was the head coach when Storer (née Cox) broke the scoring mark in 2014.
“Grace is now the girls leading scorer at our school, and when you surpass 1,200 points the first game of your senior year, you’re obviously doing something right,” he said. “She’s pretty priceless to our team. She does a little bit of everything, and we’re not the same when she’s not on the floor. She deserves everything she gets. She’s put the work in, and we expect a big total from her by the time she’s done.”
In the victory for the Lady Lions, also scoring in double figures was junior Brianna Barnes with 15 points (eight rebounds), including seven two-point baskets and one free throw. Next was senior Blake Adams with 11 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double, beginning the year with five two-point baskets and one made free throw.
“I thought Brianna Barnes, Blake Adams and Carli Reiber all played well,” Hamilton said. “Our post players boxed out well and got the big baskets when we needed them. I was really, really happy with our post play tonight.”
Following the celebration of Shope’s scoring accomplishment, the Lady Lions put their stamp on the first quarter with points from Shope, Barnes and a 3-pointer by Ashley Sowards with 3:28 left in the first-quarter clock for a 9-1 advantage. The lead went to 11-3 following a put-back basket by Adams with 3:04 on the first-quarter scoreboard.
As the quarter continued, the Lady Lions had scoring from Shope with three made free throws and another two-point basket in the paint, plus a free throw from Lauren Arnold for the 17-8 lead after eight minutes.
The lead went from nine points at the end of the first quarter to seven points once halftime arrived with East Clinton outscoring the host Lady Lions, 14-12 in the second frame. Fairfield had six players score points in the second but saw their lead fall to three points on two occasions following a 3-pointer by East Clinton’s Lacey Peterman at the top of the key with 6:01 on the clock and two free throws by Kaitlyn Talbott with 3:31 left in the first half.
FHS answered with two consecutive baskets by Adams and Shope for a seven-point lead, but another 3-pointer by Peterman brought the Lady Astros back to within four points of FHS. The quarter eventually ended with FHS gaining a point from Molly Thackston from the free-throw line and a put-back basket by Carli Reiber with 12 seconds on the scoreboard, giving FHS a 29-22 lead at halftime. Also scoring points in the second for the Lady Lions was Kami Magee.
“We had a really good start. They didn’t shoot well to begin with, but we knew they were going to come around and knock down some shots,” Hamilton said. “It got away from us a little bit in the third quarter, and we eventually lost the lead. I was really proud of the way we were able to battle back and hold our composure. We had a lot of subs coming in and out due to foul trouble. We were smart in the end and able to do the job.
“I’m always worried about foul trouble. Whenever we play defense, we’re aggressive. To be able to have a big lead and lose it, and then come back, that shows a lot about our girls. I was really proud of the way our girls fought back (Monday). I was happy with this. We’ve still got some work to do, but it was a good first game.”
The second half was tougher on the Lady Lions with East Clinton outscoring them 17-11 in the third quarter with EC eventually taking the lead with 47 seconds left in the quarter off a 3-pointer by Paige Lilly — who finished with 16 points — for a 39-38 score in favor of the visitors. FHS regained the lead with 44.4 seconds left in the third off two converted free throws by Samara Cannon for a 40-39 lead after three frames.
In the fourth, the Lady Lions lost that lead when the score was tied at 40, 28 seconds into the frame, off a free throw by Lilly. When FHS regained the lead with a 3-pointer by Cannon with 7:03 remaining in regulation, the Lady Astros answered with a 3-pointer from Peterman (her fourth of the game), tying the game at 43. After a layup by Kaitlin Durbin, EC took back the lead with 6:28 on the clock. Peterman finished with 12 points in the loss.
EC eventually built a three-point advantage, but a layup from Barnes and a three-point play by Shope pushed FHS back in front at 49-47 at the 4:33 mark of the quarter.
FHS didn’t lose the lead for the remainder of the game, taking a seven-point lead with 21 seconds remaining in the non-conference contest following a free throw by Adams.
In JV action, Fairfield lost to East Clinton, 36-19.
Next for the Lady Lions is a home game on Tuesday, Nov. 28 vs. Southeastern in a non-conference contest.