WEST LAFAYETTE and DANVILLE — The rise of McCutcheon guard Lillie Graves and Lafayette Jeff guard Maya Layton seemed almost inevitable from the time they began playing their first games across the schools and gyms around Lafayette.
Layton and Graves didn’t know either would become generational stars at their respective schools after being teammates in the sixth grade for Indiana’s Best Basketball ran by former Purdue and Louisville guard Travis Best.
So came the Tuesday night that Layton and Graves would each become record holders in their own right.
Graves would surpass 2012 graduate and current Purdue assistant women’s basketball coach Lakan Hasser-Smith as McCutcheon’s all-time leading scorer after scoring 28 points against Danville in an 80-38 win.
“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and coaches,” Graves said. “I’m just grateful to get that many shots to fall. I’m just grateful that my hard work paid off.”
Layton now stands atop as the all-time girls’ basketball leading scorer in Tippecanoe County history after passing former Central Catholic star Cameron Onken who later played at Villanova. Layton scored 30 points in an 61-28 victory against West Lafayette.
Accomplishments by both players on a singular night allowed Lafayette Jeff coach Jenna Sullivan to reflect on both coaching Layton and witnessing Graves’ rise as a top 50 player in the country.
A historic night where two scoring records added new faces atop the leaderboards.
“It’s incredible and how lucky are we to get to watch those two kids play basketball every winter,” Sullivan said. “Lillie has one more year and we’ve watched Maya last four years and together watching them do the things they do. I hope people understand the height of girls basketball across the Lafayette area. I can’t remember that it was this talented across the board. It’s a great time to support these kids and there’s college level talent on every team in the area.”
McCutcheon coach Jeff Knoy shared how middle school kids are idolizing both Graves and Layton.
“I’ve got a couple of nieces playing at Tecumseh and they think highly of both Lillie and Maya,” Knoy said. “Those kids have put in a ton of time. Way more time than people realize. They are both worthy of recognition they are receiving.”
Layton once wore a headband while Graves flashed the ponytail in the fifth and sixth grade.
The two reflected both on their shared history.
“It’s really special playing both with her and against her,” Layton said. “Having that relationship and chemistry is special.”
Graves shared how their friendship off the court transcends the competition against each other when McCutcheon and Lafayette Jeff compete.
“We all started this journey together to get to where we are,” Graves said. “It’s great to see her hard work paying off as well as mine.”
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@jconline.com, on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: New scoring records unite Lillie Graves and Maya Layton on same night
Reporting by Ethan Hanson, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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