Ms. Basketball felt lot of pressure

The Pirates tried to wear down Tyra Grant.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
COLUMBUS -- Ursuline senior Tyra Grant has gotten used to being the center of attention on the basketball court, but she wasn't quite used to state-wide attention.
In her first game since being named Ohio's Ms. Basketball, Grant missed her first two shots -- including an airball on a 3-pointer -- before settling down against Sugarcreek Garaway.
Did she feel a little pressure?
"I'm not going to lie, I felt a lot of pressure," said Grant. "Some of it was self-induced."
Had a cold
Grant also caught a cold two days earlier and was still feeling the effects on Thursday.
"It seems like we have two kids that are sick," joked Durkin.
Grant also had to battle the Pirates' physical defense, which made sure she had to work for everything. Garaway senior Tessa Swartzentruber was assigned to guard Grant, but the Pirates' diamond-and-one defense made sure that two defenders were tracking Grant at all times.
"We wanted to make the shots tougher for Grant," said Garaway coach Scott Bardall. "She's not Ms. Ohio for nothing."
Garaway also wanted to wear down Grant, repeatedly bumping her when she came through screens and frustrating her whenever possible. Grant had seen such tactics before -- Garfield Heights Trinity did the same thing in the regional final -- but never to that extent.
Used to resistance
"This was the most, but I'm kind of used to it by now," said Grant. "I just tried to pop back up."
Grant, who played 31 of the 32 minutes, finished with 17 points (14 below her average) and five rebounds (six below her average), but much of that was due to the tempo. Grant's illness also left her winded more easily, which is why Durkin wants to make sure she's rested up for Saturday's final.
"I don't think she came off the floor, but she was sick as a dog," said Durkin. "I think if I had tried to take her out we would have had a fist-fight on the floor.
"If she needed to come out, she would have let me know. Knowing her, that wasn't going to happen."
When asked how she caught the flu, Grant said, "I don't know, but I don't want it. I'm going to take whatever I can to get rid of it."
"Well, not whatever you can," Durkin said, interrupting.
"I'll take the right things," she said.
Past, future
Grant, who will play at Penn State next year, is the area's all-time leading scorer and the first area player to win Ms. Basketball. She was a starter on the state championship team two years ago along with senior Vannessa Dickson, who had two points in Thursday's win over Garaway.
"It means a lot," Grant said of the award. "I'm speechless. If someone had told me five years ago that I'd win it, I'd tell them to get out of here."
"I'm very proud," added Durkin. "When I heard, I just shook my head. I agree with the voters.
"If she's not the best player in the state, I haven't seen her yet."
scalzo@vindy.com