​Eagles end historic season with 63-51 loss to Hickman

by Michael Smith, Grain Valley News


COLUMBIA -- The Grain Valley girls basketball season has had a historic season.

Following the Eagles 65-58 win in the first round of the Class 6 District 7 Tournament, they set a school record for most wins in a season with 24.

A district championship and deep postseason run seemed possible as Grain Valley matched up against Columbia Hickman Saturday in the district semifinals.

The Kewpies had other plans, however. Hickman used a swarming defense that involved trapping Grain Valley ball handlers, being aggressive in the passing lanes, and putting as much pressure as possible when the Eagles had the ball in the perimeter.

The defensive strategy paid off for Hickman as it took Grain Valley out of its rhythm on offense, which resulted in the Eagles’ season coming to an end in a 63-51 loss at Rock Bridge High School.

“We blinked in the second period,” Grain Valley head coach Randy Draper said. “We stressed early. We struggled to respond to it in the first half. We waited too long to respond to the pressure.”

Grain Valley (24-2) hung with the Kewpies in the first half. Hickman missed eight open 3-point attempts as the Eagles used a zone defense. Grain Valley did enough defensively to take a 9-8 lead at the end of the first period. Grain Valley junior Addy Seyfert scored five of her team-high 10 points in the period.

The Kewpie defense then flustered the Eagles in the second period. Their ball pressure and aggressive defense led to Grain Valley turning the ball over six times in the second quarter and the Eagles finished with 10 in the first half. The shots the Eagles made were mostly tough shots and were contested by Hickman defenders as they went into halftime down 28-20.

“With our conference teams, there is not a lot of competition to our level,” senior Camryn Kelly said. “It didn’t help that we didn’t face a ton of physicality throughout the season. Our JV did a great job of getting physical with us at practice.

“Sometimes, the physicality can be too much. We didn’t handle it how we wanted to.”

In that quarter, the Grain Valley defense struggled to contain senior Sy’Rae Stemmons, who had 11 of her game-high 19 points in the period. She was hitting mid-range jumpers and got to the basket frequently against the Eagles’ defense.

The Eagles cut down on their turnovers in the third quarter, only having two, however, thy missed their first five shots and allowed the Kewpies to push their lead to 37-21 behind a 3-pointer from senior Caroline Eastman and a pair of fast-break layups from Stemmons and senior Jayla Griffith.

Threes on back-to-back possessions from Kelly and Seyfert helped Grain Valley cut the advantage to 37-27 midway through the period. Hickman responded by scoring on five out of their next six possessions to push the lead to 48-33 going into the final period. In the third, the Kewpies shot a scorching hot 7-for-9 from the field (77 percent).

Grain Valley didn’t get any closer than 12 points the rest of the way as it suffered its first double-digit loss of the season.

The loss didn’t take away from the special season the Eagles had, though, Draper said. They still set a school record for wins as the six seniors on the team that are graduating will leave behind a strong legacy. Following the game, Draper stopped each senior and thanked them for their contributions.

“This is a hard day to remember how special the season was,” Draper said. “Our six seniors have been good for us. We will miss them.”

Added Kelly: “(Breaking the school record for wins in a season) was expected, but it didn’t end how I wanted it to. I think our record shows how hard we work and how much chemistry we have on and off the court.”

​Kelly, sophomore Bella Bollinger and junior Aspen Reed all added eight points each for the Eagles and senior Neveah Clausen chipped in with seven.

Grain Valley sophomore Bella Bollinger, left, looks for an open teammate as Columbia Hickman sophomore Carlie Moore defends.
Photo credit: Michael Smith

Grain Valley junior Addy Seyfert goes up for a left-handed layup while Hickman junior Addison Carr attempts to block the shot. Photo credit: Michael Smith

Grain Valley junior Aspen Reed drives baseline. Photo credit: Michael Smith

Grain Valley sophomore Madison Rust drives to the basket as Hickman junior Addison Carr impedes her progress. Photo credit: Michael Smith

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