Basketball Recap: Ladario Johnson's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Graham over Chatham Central

Graham was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They came up short against the Chatham Central Bears, falling 81-59. Sadly, that's the second time they've come up short against the Red Devils this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 77-64 back in December of 2024.

Graham lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Ladario Johnson, who went 6 of 7 en route to 14 points in addition to eight rebounds and four blocks. Johnson is crushing it when it comes to boards: he's pulled down at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. Micah Woods was another key player, going 6 for 13 on his way to 17 points.

Even though they lost, Graham smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive boards in 16 consecutive matchups.

Chatham Central had a senior duo take command as Reid Albright dropped a double-double on 31 points and 11 rebounds and Brennen Oldham went 7 of 13 en route to 18 points along with eight assists and seven boards. Those eight assists gave Oldham a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Luke Gaines, who posted ten points in addition to five assists and three steals.

Graham's defeat dropped their record down to 2-14. As for Chatham Central, the victory was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 15-2.

Graham will face off against Jordan-Matthews at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Graham knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past three contests -- so hopefully Jordan-Matthews likes a good challenge. As for Chatham Central, they will challenge Cummings at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Chatham Central is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 60.1 points per game this season.