Lady Raiders Pull Away from Grundy County, Advance to Face Cairo
By Marlana Smith
North Shelby faced Grundy County in sectional action at Marceline on Monday, March 2, 2026. After a slow start, the Lady Raiders pulled away in the second half to secure a 42-31 victory.
Two minutes into the game, Ally Rich put North Shelby on the board with a three-pointer. Grundy County answered just 13 seconds later and tied the game with a free throw 20 seconds after that.
Hadlee Parsons added three points and Mallory Griffin scored two to give North Shelby an 8-3 advantage with just under three minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
The Lady Panthers added three more points before the end of the period, but a three-pointer by Sadie Gander helped the Lady Raiders take an 11-5 lead into the second quarter.
Grundy County started out the second quarter scoring four points and only trailed 11-10.
Grundy County opened the second quarter with four quick points to cut the deficit to 11-10. Griffin went 1-for-2 from the free-throw line with 4:29 left, and on the missed second attempt, Clara Uhlmeyer grabbed the rebound and scored to make it 15-10.
Parsons later went 1-for-2 at the line, but Grundy County responded with the next three points to pull within 15-13.
Parsons knocked down a three-pointer with 2:32 remaining in the half, and although the Lady Panthers scored the final point of the quarter, North Shelby carried an 18-14 lead going into halftime.
Grundy County scored the first three points to begin the second half. Griffin scored the next two points for NS extending their led, 20-17.
The Lady Panthers briefly took the lead with a four-point run, but North Shelby quickly regained control and never looked back. The Lady Raiders put in 12 points over a little more than four minutes and closed the third quarter with a 32-23 advantage.
North Shelby added 10 points to the board in the final quarter. Griffin scored five in the quarter, Parsons added three, and Copenhaver contributed two.
Parsons led the Lady Raiders with 16 points, while Griffin added 13.
North Shelby will face Cairo on Friday, March 6, at 6 p.m. at Salisbury High School.
