The season officially kicked off Friday night against Cy Woods at Stratford. Senior Maggie Parker scored the first basket of the game on a sweet three-point shot. After that, the highlights took awhile as the Wildcats forced too many Spartan turnovers and seemingly got every rebound in the first quarter. Playing without Sophomore point guard Rachel Ashby, who is currently with the Volleyball Team, the Spartans struggled to control the ball and put each other in scoring position and were down 19-7 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter got tougher as the Spartans' shots simply would not fall. Head Coach Alexis Green seemed to recognize the hole her team was digging and opted to go to her bench generously, giving all players a taste of life in the (Varsity) fast lane.

There was good news. The Spartans increased their scoring in each of the last two quarters and went toe-to-toe with Cy Woods for the second half. This is a young team who's early season rotation includes four sophomores in Kendall Davis, Aria Taylor, Bella Perroni, and Ella O'Connor. As the game went on and the Sophomores found their footing, Davis scored six points, Taylor grabbed three rebounds, and Perroni and O'Connor both put in baskets. Junior Kendall Zoboroski scored four points and snared five rebounds while Senior guard JaKayla Cheever led the team with eight points. One of the last plays of the game was a glimpse of things to come as Taylor grabbed a loose ball and started a fast break, hitting Reeves with a pass on the right baseline. Reeves tossed it right back and Taylor smartly kept her speed and direction to the basket, scoring off the give-and-go. Sophomore-to-Senior-to-Sophomore. Variations of that will be seen a lot this year. The final was 63-24.

Last Tuesday the Spartans got in their last warm-ups before the regular season began when they participated in scrimmages at Westside High School on Tuesday. There are more questions than answers about Varsity this early in the year, but what we did learn is that they are neither a Track nor Rugby Team. In the first game, the Spartans faced a Clear Brook team that finished 30-5 last year and returns a lot of experience. Without certified referees, Clear Brook pressed like fighters and ran like a track team. It was the kind of test that this young Spartans team needed to be ready to challenge in District play.

In the mid-70s the University of Tennessee featured two future pro's, Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King who were known as the “Ernie & Bernie Show”. Based on early returns, the Spartans may have the Kendall & Kendall Show (Kx2? K-Squared?) for a couple of years. Junior Kendall Zoboroski and Sophomore Kendall Davis were the only players in the scoring column and stood out in early action.

In the Rugby Match, aka second scrimmage, vs. Westside High School, the Spartans again faced a barrage of pressure all game. The Kendall & Kendall Show resumed with Zoboroski being among the team’s most effective scorers while also standing out as perhaps the most effective and disruptive defensive Spartan. Davis was a significant presence on defense and offense while showing preternatural calm, especially as an underclassman, in the face of withering defensive pressure. The glue to the team will be Seniors Reeves and Parker. Parker particularly shined, challenging shots under the basket and was aggressive with her shot. That portends good things to come in District.

Next week the Spartans travel to Leander, TX for tournament games and team building on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.