Grant Girls’ Victory Is a Feat of Clay, 67-64

For a few frantic moments late in the fourth quarter, the players on the Grant High girls’ basketball team had that look on their faces.

The look a team gets when it has lost 14 of 15 games against a longtime league rival.

Only this time Krystal Clay made sure it wasn’t going to happen again.

The junior sank two free throws with five seconds remaining to clinch the Lancers’ 67-64 victory over North Hollywood on Wednesday in a Sunset Six League game at North Hollywood.

Clay scored 28 points, including all 10 for Grant in the final quarter.

The Lancers (14-6, 5-0 in league play) claimed sole possession of first place midway through league play.

North Hollywood (13-7, 4-1) has won nine consecutive league titles and was regarded as the favorite again in its first season in the Sunset Six.

Clay sprained her right ankle during practice Monday and re-injured it 11 seconds into the game.

After sitting out most of the first quarter, Clay came back to score 26 points in the final three quarters.

“I was worried about (the ankle) at first but I knew I just had to get back in and suck it up because we needed to have this one,” Clay said.

Grant needed nearly all of her points after the Lancers watched most of their 15-point lead in the second half disappear.

“We played kind of sloppy down the stretch but I think it says something that we held on to win it,” said Coach Steve Brumwell of Grant.

Kathleen Mallon scored 15 points and Leslie Mui had 10 for the Lancers.

Junior Richelle Sherman dominated inside for the Huskies with 25 points and 17 rebounds, and Toni Lashley added 16 points.