Gruver Lady Hounds Capture Regional Title, Advance to State with 55–40 Win Over New Home

Lady Hounds are Regional Champs

The Gruver Lady Hounds are headed to the State Tournament.

Gruver secured the Regional Championship with a 55–40 victory over New Home, delivering a strong performance from start to finish in a matchup between two familiar and talented programs.

The Lady Hounds set the tone early, opening the contest on a 10–1 run fueled by back to back three pointers from Ella Stewart and Paisley Quirk. That early surge established momentum and allowed Gruver to dictate pace throughout the first half.

New Home refused to go away. In the third quarter, the Lady Leopards battled back to trim the deficit to 28–22, putting pressure on Gruver and creating a tense stretch in the game.

But the Lady Hounds responded immediately.

Merkel buried a deep three from the timeline to push the lead back to 31–22, halting New Home’s momentum and reestablishing control. The freshman was outstanding on both ends of the floor, finishing with a game high 21 points while also creating key defensive stops and steals throughout the contest.

Born added 11 points, while Stewart finished with 9 points, all coming from beyond the arc.

For New Home, Kirbi Johnson led the Lady Leopards with 14 points and Kelby Johnson added 11 in a hard fought effort.

With the win, Gruver advances to the State Tournament, carrying confidence and momentum into the final stage of the postseason.