No. 3 Tyler T.K. Gorman Dominates Inside in 80-39 Rout of Rival Tyler Grace

TYLER -- Tyler T.K. Gorman coach Katie Robertson said her No. 3 Lady Crusaders aren't simply the Michelle Obach Show. They proved that Friday at rival Tyler Grace.

Gorman got the usual strong performance from Obach, the senior guard who has signed with Division II Merrimack College, but Gorman's dominance on the glass helped the Lady Crusaders build a big lead early en route to an 80-39 senior night spoiler at the Cougar Dome.

Gorman senior forward Susannah Williams hit 9 of 15 field-goal attempts and 8 of 10 free-throw tries to score a game-high 26 points with seven rebounds. Gorman outrebounded Grace 13-2 in the first quarter for a 20-8 lead entering the second. The Lady Crusaders were up 20-6 on the glass at halftime, when they had pushed their lead to 22 points, 43-21, thanks to 10 offensive rebounds and 13-for-17 free-throw shooting. Williams had 15 points and five boards at intermission.

"Susannah did a great job tonight. She had a great game on Tuesday night. I need those players to step up because everybody knows how good Michelle is, and we're not all about Michelle," Robertson said. "It's just about distributing the ball and figuring out what we need to do when situations arise."

Gorman (24-3, 5-0) won the rebounding battle 36-17, including 13-4 offensive rebounding edge. Obach had the type of performance Gorman fans have grown accustomed to seeing from her: 23 points, four assists, and three steals. Junior guard Brooke Lee added 14 points, four assists, and three steals. Junior reserve forward Mandy VanderVorste had a big night off the bench with 11 points, including 5-for-5 shooting, plus five rebounds and three steals. Senior post Danielle Smith helped Gorman win the rebounding battle with four points and seven boards.

Sophomore Taylor Kingsley and senior Catherine Rook led Grace (9-14, 2-3) with nine points apiece. Senior Rebekah Provines had five points and a game-high six assists.

Gorman outscored Grace 26-7 in the third quarter to completely blow the game open. The Lady Crusaders shot 7-for-7 in the third quarter's first 3 1/2 minutes.

"I feel like they've gotten to the point where regardless of who's in the game -- because I'm doing a lot of subbing -- everybody's playing as hard as they can, and I feel like they're not even looking at the scoreboard to where they get comfortable because of the lead that we have," Robertson said. "They're trying to take care of the ball and do the small things right."

Gorman hosts Dallas Parish Episcopal on Tuesday. Grace travels to Carrollton Prince of Peace.

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TAPPS District 2-4A

No. 3 Tyler T.K. Gorman 80, Tyler Grace 39

Cougar Dome, Tyler

Tyler T.K. Gorman -- 20 23 26 11 -- 80
Tyler Grace -- 8 13 7 11 -- 39

Tyler T.K. Gorman (24-3, 5-0) -- Susannah Williams 26, Michelle Obach 23, Brooke Lee 14, Mandy VanderVorste 11, Danielle Smith 4, Abbie Guevara 2.
Tyler Grace (9-14, 2-3) -- Taylor Kingsley 9, Catherine Rook 9, Megan Raborar 6, Rebekah Provines 5, Parker Daughtry 4, Bethany Kimmey 4, Kylie Stinson.