When Gray was fouled with seven seconds left, she went to the line for two free throws with her team down by a point.
With the gym at Lafayette Christian School rocking, Gray tried to keep the situation from getting to her.
“You just block everything out and just pull yourself together,” she said.
Gray made both three throws to put her team up by a point, and she then came up with the clinching steal to sew up the 69-68 victory in the GISA Region 4-A opener for both teams.
It was the season opener for Dawson Street, while Lafayette Christian fell to 2-3.
The free throws and ensuing steal capped an amazing night for Gray, who finished with 52 points.
Lafayette Christian tried everything to slow Gray, but nothing worked.
“I don’t care what kind of defense you play on her, she’s going to break it,” Lafayette Christian head coach Paula Johnson said.
Amber Walker added 17 points for Dawson Street.
For Lafayette Christian, Morgan Douglas had a big game with 23 points, and Mary Mae Cole added 19 points and played tough in the paint before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.
Elizabeth Goodwin added nine points for the Lady Cougars.
“I’m very proud of my girls. They played a great game,” Johnson said. “They fought all the way until the end. They fought 100 percent. It was a great game. Those are games that you love to see instead of the blowouts.”
Dawson Street Christian Carl Robertson was also proud of how his players responded in crunch time.
“The girls, it shows their character,” Robertson said. “We stuck with it, and they were able to pull it out.”
The Lady Cougars went up 67-65 with 1:33 remaining when Douglas converted a three-point play, and Gray tied it with a basket with 1:17 left.
Goodwin’s free throw with 41 seconds left put the Cougars on top 68-67, and it remained that way until Gray was fouled with 7.9 seconds left on the clock.
The Lady Cougars still had time to win it after Gray’s free throws, but Gray came up from behind and poked the ball away from a Lafayette Christian player to end the suspense.
In Friday’s boys’ game, Dawson Street Christian opened its season with an 85-26 victory.
It was over early.
The Wildcats charged to a 24-9 lead after the first quarter, and they were ahead 57-12 at the half.
Dawson Street head coach Tory McCray emptied the bench in the second half.
It was the Wildcats’ first game since they won the GISA Class A state championship earlier this year.
The Cougars, meanwhile, fell to 0-5.
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