SHS vs Memorial Mustangs @ Don Coleman Coliseum 1/25/21:

The Spartans improved to a 11-7 overall record and 7-1 record in District play following their victory against Jersey Village on 1/23/21.     Their next opponent would be a make-up game against arch rival Memorial on a rare Monday night at Don Coleman Coliseum.    It felt great seeing a strong crowd, cheerleaders, and a huge student body participation on both sides come to the game.  It was truly a rivalry atmosphere, even on a Monday night.  Memorial started out quickly hitting 3 3-pointers and capitalizing on 2 Spartan turnovers.   The Spartan deficit was 4-13 with 3:23 to go in the 1st.  The Spartans came roaring back to tie the game 13-13 with 1:19.   The quarter ended in a dead heat 15-15.  The Spartans went on a quick 5-0 run to begin the 2nd with Luke Hatcher hitting a 3-ball and Jameson Cronin making a field goal.  As the 2nd quarter progressed, the game got more aggressive, including a technical foul on Luke Hatcher.  The quarter came down to the Spartans holding the ball at the :46 mark which concluded with an excellent assist by Everett Bates to Keanu Dawes for a quick 2 at the end of the quarter.   The half concluded with a 26-21 Spartan lead.   The 3rd quarter was a standoff with MHS out-scoring the Spartans 9-4 until the 3:00 mark.  Only one additional Spartan field goal and 2 Mustang 3’s concluded the 3rd with a score of 32-36 in favor of MHS.  Luke Hatcher went on a 4-0 tear to open the 4th, and Hawkins Polley added a 3 to tie the game up 36-36 one minute in to the 4th.  Further aggressive back and forth led to a 46-47 Spartan deficit with 1:52 to play.  Only a single field goal by each team fell until :15 to go with a 48-49 lead by the Mustangs.  With a foul by Everett Bates to un-settle the stalling MHS offense, MHS went in to the Bonus.  Stratford rebounded the ball after a Mustang miss, and took a timeout with :07 to go.  A drawn up play went to Jameson Cronin, who missed the go-ahead field goal.  Hawkins got clobbered going for the rebound, but no foul.  A couple of MHS made 1-1 free throws concluded the game with an MHS win 48-51.  A tough loss down the stretch but the fans got their money’s worth with a true rivalry outing and both teams playing well and aggressively.  Outstanding play:  Luke Hatcher was the only Spartan in double figures with 17 points, 2 blocks and 7 rebounds.  Hawkins Polley, Keanu Dawes, and Jameson Cronin contributed 7, 6, and 7 points respectively.  Keanu grabbed 5 rebounds and had 2 blocks.

SHS vs Spring Woods Tigers at Spring Woods gym 1/26/21:

The Spartans continued their season to a 11-8 overall record and 7-2 record in District play following their loss to MHS on 1/25/21.     Their next opponent would be the Spring Woods Tigers on the road in a rare back to back game following Monday’s make-up game.    Spring Woods would be a great opportunity to allow Spartan starters a rest after a hard-fought Monday game and that is just what Coach Nixon did, allowing other Spartan players to get extended minutes.   The Tigers thought that stall ball would be a viable strategy versus the Spartans, keeping the ball away from them, but to no avail.   The 1st quarter ended with a 9-3 Spartan lead, which grew to a 28-7 lead at the end of the first half.  The Tigers came out more aggressively, out-scoring the Spartans 7-2 in the first 2 minutes of the 3rd quarter, but after that, it was all Spartans.   The 3rd quarter ended with a 37-14 lead.  The fourth quarter proved fairly equal in scoring, but there was nothing that the Tigers could do to draw closer than 25 points.   The final was a decisive 55-30 victory.      Outstanding play:  Garrett Dudley led all scorers on both teams with 13 points and ripped down 8 rebounds.  Hawkins Polley poured in 11 points and snagged 5 rebounds.  Cameron Cronin contributed 7 points, Jameson Cronin had 6, and James McVaugh had 4 points.   Hector Igbikowubo hauled in 4 rebounds.      

SHS vs Memorial Mustangs at Don Coleman Coliseum 1/29/21:
The Spartans held a 12-8 overall record and 8-2 record in District play following their victory against Spring Woods on 1/26/21.     They would have an opportunity to avenge their loss to Memorial on Friday night against a fairly full house in DCC.  It was fantastic seeing such a lively student body and lots of adult fans on both sides of the Coliseum for the District’s biggest rivalry contest.   Both teams got off to a solid start, but the Spartans gained a 10-7 lead with 3:00 to go in the 1st.  The Mustangs tied the game 10-10 at 2:58 with a quick 3, but the Mustangs pulled out a 12-15 lead after the 1st quarter, with  2 late MHS 3-pointers.    In the 2nd quarter, the MHS lead grew with a 9-6 run until 2:52 left.   The Spartans did not add another basket until Jameson Cronin broke the drought with a 2.  SHS losing momentum while MHS slowly and methodically took command.   The 2nd quarter ended with a 22-34 MHS lead with a hot hand from the 3-point line with 5 MHS 3-pointers in the 1st half.  The 3rd quarter opened with a quick 4-0 Spartan run, but MHS’s aggressive D shut down any further offense for a while until ½ way through the quarter.  Sloppy SHS play continued with turnovers occurring regularly.  The 3rd quarter ended with a 29-41 MHS lead.  The Spartans could only muster an additional 15 points in the 4th, while the Mustangs added only 13.   That was enough though to cruise to a 54-44 win by the Mustangs. Outstanding play:  The only Spartan in double figures was Hawkins Polley who had 17 points.   Keanu Dawes ripped down 6 rebounds and had 4 blocks, and Luke Hatcher contributed 7 points and 7 rebounds.   Hector Igbikowubo contributed 4 points and 3 blocks.