Granger senior Isaiah Tademy went down with a hand injury in the second game of the season. With their leading scorer watching from the bench, the Lancers lost their next seven games.

Tademy’s teammates knew they would have to fill the void. Fellow senior Mo Valladolid said it is tough to replace a player like Tademy.

“He is one of our big players,” Valladolid said. “When he went down, the rest of us had to step up.”

Tademy is back now, and he hasn’t missed a beat.

“It is great to have him back,” Granger coach Bernie Graziano said. “He is a good, versatile player who we use in many different spots.

In Tademy’s first four games since the injury, he averaged 18.3 points per game. In Granger’s win against Taylorsville last Thursday, Tademy exploded for 28 points, a career high. He also led the team with six rebounds, four assists and five steals in the game.

Despite that performance, Tademy is still not playing at 100 percent.

“Isaiah is still in a lot of pain,” Graziano said. “He still keeps it wrapped up most of the time, and he has to ice it right before games and at halftime. He is still out there, though, and he has shown a lot of toughness.”

Graziano said Tademy’s absence was a good learning experience for the rest of the team.

“Coming into this season, Isaiah was the only player on the team with varsity experience,” Graziano said. “Guys like Mo and [Isaiah’s brother] Israel Tademy have had to step right in, and they have done a good job.”

Valladolid is averaging 12.8 points per game and he has scored at least 10 points in nine games this season.

The Lancers came into the week with a 1-2 region record. If Valladolid and Isaiah Tademy can continue to perform at a high level, Granger still has a chance to claim a playoff berth. Graziano said the ultimate goal is to continually get better as a team, which he said the Lancers can do if they stay healthy.

“We have been learning how to compete; now we have to learn how to finish,” Graziano said.