Off the Grid: Sally breaks down Lay-up

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today’s puzzle before reading further! Lay-up
Constructor: Jared Goudsmit
Editor: Jared Goudsmit
LAY-UP: The word LAY is found backwards – that is, going UP – in each vertical theme answer: BRANDY ALEXANDER, NOT BY A LONG SHOT, and BABY ALBUM.
The word UP in the title tipped me off that the theme might be found in the Down answers, and that was indeed the case. NOT BY A LONG SHOT is my favorite of today’s theme answers. Thank you, Jared, for this enjoyable puzzle.