Grain Valley News
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
  • News
  • Community
    • Community Guide
    • First Fridays Puzzle Race
    • Best of Grain Valley
    • Events Calendar
    • Job Board
    • 2025 Garage Sale Directory
    • Voter Resources
  • Support
    • Advertise
    • Become A Sustaining Member

​news

Slaughter’s 3-point barrage guides Eagles to rout over Indians

12/6/2022

 
by Michael Smith
     Grain Valley senior Grace Slaughter is one of the toughest, if not the toughest high girls basketball players to defend.
     That was evident in the Eagles’ Suburban White Conference matchup Monday at Fort Osage High School.
     At 6-foot-2 she was already a great low post scorer and she could take any defender off the dribble and score while driving to the cup. She also always has been a solid 3-point shooter but if she keeps shooting from behind the arc like she did against the Indians, she will be even more un-guardable than she already is.
     Against Fort Osage, the senior made 11 of 20 shots (55 percent) from the floor and sank 9 of 12 attempts from 3-point range (75 percent) while scoring a game-high 38 points in a 66-38 rout of Fort Osage.
     During the same, Slaughter displayed superior off-ball movement, often faking like she was going to post up or make a cut to the basket, then popping out behind the arc for an open three.
     “Coach (Randy) Draper helps by drawing plays that help us move the ball,” Slaughter said. “I look for the seal or look to get open for a three. This year, I am really looking to seek good opportunities. If that means a three, that’s good.”
     Slaughter said her 3-point shot was something that she had been working on after she recovered from the ACL injury she suffered last February in a regular season game against Blue Springs.
     “Having nine months off with my injury, I was able to spend time getting the (basketball shooting machine) out and work on getting stronger and pulling my range out three wise,” Slaughter said. “I think that is contributing to how I am scoring this year.”
     Hitting that shot on a consistent basis will make her even tougher to guard as she already dominates the paint almost every night. On Monday, it didn’t matter if it was a catch and shoot, a pull up or step-back 3-pointer, Slaughter was draining most shots she took from deep.
     Draper credited Slaughter’s tireless work ethic for her ability to consistently hit outside shots.
     “She can get you in a lot of ways,” Draper said. “You have to guard the whole floor against her. We all know how hard she works. It's great to see it get rewarded. It’s fun to see how good she is. She sets the bar high for herself. She keeps extending her range and keeps getting better.”
     In the first period, the senior hit five 3-pointers and scored 21 points to help the Eagles (4-0) 26-11 lead. In the second period, she made another three and was 6-for-6 from the free throw line as Grain Valley went into halftime up 39-14.
     Meanwhile the defense was making things difficult for the Indians as the Grain Valley defense held them to just 6-for-24 shooting from the floor (25 percent). Slaughter knocked down two more 3-pointers in the third period and rested the entire fourth period.
     Juniors Finley LaForge and McKenah Sears also each hit one 3-point for the Eagles as they totaled 11 as a team. Draper said he would like to see improvement in that area from the others aside from Slaughter.
     “We need to shoot it better than we are shooting right now,” Draper said. “Grace is shooting a good percentage. As a team it’s not good enough, but it will be. We are just working on shooting good threes.”
     “We have other ways to score aside from Grace and we just have to maximize that.”
     Junior Meghan Knust was the next highest scorer for Grain Valley with six points.
Picture
Grain Valley senior Grace Slaughter dribbles the ball up court during a 66-38 win over Fort Osage. Slaughter scored a game-high 38 points. Photo credit: Michael Smith

Picture
Grain Valley senior Ella Clyman, right, guards a Fort Osage player. Photo credit: Michael Smith
Picture

Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    5 Questions
    Arts
    Beacon: Missouri
    Best Of Grain Valley
    Burton Kelso
    Business
    Cathy Allie
    Celebrations & Transitions
    Census
    City Of Grain Valley
    Civics 101
    Columnists
    Community Profile
    Covid-19
    Covid19
    Downtown Grain Valley
    Dr. Bug
    Economic-development
    Education
    Elections
    Financial-health
    Fitness
    Food Inspections
    Good News
    Good-news
    Grain-valley-assistance-council
    Grain Valley Fair
    Grain Valley Historical Society
    Grain-valley-partnership
    Grain Valley Schools
    Health And Fitness
    Health-and-fitness
    Home And Garden
    Jackson County
    Kansas City Royals
    Kindness Awards
    Ld
    Letters
    Local News
    Looking Back
    Lorne-meinershagen
    Missouri House Of Representatives
    Missouri Independent
    Missouri Senate
    Musings From The Middle
    Neighborhood View
    On-the-job
    Pets
    Police Blotter
    Public Notice
    Quick-news
    Rdn
    Recreation
    Sally-whitaker
    Scene In Grain Valley
    Seniors
    Senior-send-off
    Sports
    State Of Missouri
    Sunshine Week
    Technology
    The Beacon
    Tracey-shaffer
    Transportation
    University Of Missouri Extension
    Waynes-world

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018

Grain Valley News

This work by Grain Valley News is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Contact Us

PO Box 2972
​Grain Valley MO 64029

Privacy Policy
​
(c) 2025 Grain Valley News
Picture
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
  • News
  • Community
    • Community Guide
    • First Fridays Puzzle Race
    • Best of Grain Valley
    • Events Calendar
    • Job Board
    • 2025 Garage Sale Directory
    • Voter Resources
  • Support
    • Advertise
    • Become A Sustaining Member