Grigsby leading Hurricanes in thick of 24-5A title race

FULSHEAR—Two years ago, when she made varsity but was coming off the bench, Hightower senior guard Jada Grigsby set out to prove herself.

“I’m a leader,” Grigsby said. “And I’ll do whatever it takes to win.”

Fast forward to Friday evening, and everything Grigsby is about was on display in a crucial District 24-5A showdown against Fulshear.

With Hightower closing to within 22-20 in the early minutes of the third quarter, Grigsby took control, scoring nine of her game-high 22 points in the period with four rebounds and two steals for good measure, helping break open a one-possession game into a 16-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

In all, Grigsby finished with a game-high 10 rebounds and four steals, making three of six 3-pointers.

“When Jada is ready to play and mentally focused, it adds to our confidence and energy,” second-year Hightower coach Jasmine Brewer said. “She is a huge part of us and what we do. Because she’s a senior, my young kids look up to her, and they look up to her a lot more than she thinks. In that third quarter, we fed off her energy and enthusiasm. Her will.”

The win pushed Hightower to 20-7 overall, 11-1 in district play, and kept the Hurricanes tit-for-tat with Foster in the race for the 24-5A title.

Hightower’s last district championship was three years ago.

“We’re trying to go get it,” said Grigsby, who scored 16 points in the second half. “Our goal is that gold ball (district championship). This is my senior year. I’m just trying to get it for my team, trying to leave my mark here. I’m trying to win. That’s where my head’s at every single game.”

Brewer remembers when she first saw Grigsby, before she got to Hightower while working for another school.

“I saw her potential,” Brewer said. “Then, when I got here, I saw, like, ‘Man, this girl can be good. I’ve got to get her focused and get her to have that killer instinct.’ I’ve been on her even this year. It’s her senior year, we’re trying to get her somewhere to play, and I remind her that I need her focused.”

Brewer said she had another heart-to-heart conversation with Grigsby just hours before Friday’s game.

“And to see her come out and respond was everything,” Brewer said. “She’s playing hard. She’s letting the game come to her. She’s doing the small things like hustling and getting on the floor for loose balls. I tell her she has to play with discipline on defense. Today, she did just that.”

Grigsby has answered her coach’s call. Consistently. She has made considerable strides this season.

A natural scorer, she’s more patient with the ball in her hands. She’s more aware on defense. She attacks the basket more, instead of settling for jump shots.

“I appreciate everything Coach does for me,” Grigsby said. “She stays on me to never get my head down. Just keep going, no matter what. Never quit, even through the bad games.”

The bad games are fewer and fewer these days for Grigsby and the Hurricanes.

Hightower is on an eight-game winning streak. Grigsby and fellow senior backcourt mate A’leah Franklin (13 points, four assists against Fulshear) are leading the way.

Hightower has a tight-knit team chemistry it hasn’t had in recent years. The Hurricanes’ determination and will remind Franklin of her freshman year, when she played on Hightower’s state semifinal team.

“I see a selfless team and a team that plays together,” Brewer said. “Last year, at this time, we were fighting for a playoff spot. That adversity of not getting in has helped us. Us not getting what we wanted helped us. We took a week off and then started our offseason, and the girls have been committed and they’ve been bought in.

“You see a team that loves each other, cares about each other, and will play hard for each other.”