vs. Fort Bend Austin

On Tuesday the Stratford Girls Basketball team tipped off against Fort Bend Austin, who came into the game at 8-0, with only one opponent keeping its loss under double digits. The Bulldogs started hot and jumped to an 8-0 lead before the Spartans were able to adjust to the tempo. Nevertheless, shots struggled to fall with Head Coach Alexis Green going young early - sophomores Bella Perroni, Aria Taylor, and Rachel Ashby battled mightily in the early going. Junior Kendall Zoboroski watched a beautiful outside shot circle the rim and exit, and the Spartans were down 13-0 with a minute remaining in the first quarter. Taylor had her work cut out for her defensively as she worked the top of the defense and the Bulldogs' adept passing on the perimeter kept her admirably working hard from one side of the court to the other to slow the defense. The scoring drought ended when Ashby hit sophomore forward Kendall Davis on the right block, and Davis spun out of trouble to lay the ball in. Ashby then led a fast break to senior guard JaKyla Cheeves for a score to make it 13-4. Davis hit a three-pointer off the assist from senior forward Maggie Parker to make it 18-7 with 3:50 remaining in the second quarter. Parker scored on a free throw in the next series and then dropped in a trey off the assist from Ashby. Parker followed that with another three from the left wing, courtesy of Ashby, and the score was 20-14. The Spartans had come alive! Parker was a significant presence defensively, disrupting shots under the basket and creating offensive opportunities on the other end. Ashby had the play of the game with a steal at half court vs. a larger and stronger opponent. Ashby then drove to the right side of the basket where the defender met her, towering and ready. All Ashby did was a spin move to the left and lay-in with her left hand that was "SportsCenter" worthy! Unfortunately, the Bulldogs reeled off three straight baskets to end the half at 26-16. The Bulldogs picked up where they left off scoring 14 straight points to start the second half. The Spartans struggled with Austin's size and speed, as every team apparently has this season. Parker finally scored off an offensive rebound. Cheeves led the team all night with hard drives to the basket, but faced height she couldn't match and power that equaled her own. By the fourth quarter, Coach Green went to her bench to get valuable game experience which will be relied upon in district play. Senior Lilah Epps, playing defense near the baseline, saw the Bulldogs get a steal near the top of the key and used her blazing speed to beat everyone to the opposite basket and block the shot while keeping the ball in play. Taylor added a lovely running floater from the paint. But the Bulldogs had nearly no bench to go to so their top players remained in, creating a final score of 65-21 that appears more lopsided than it would have been. Parker scored 9 points with 5 rebounds. Davis scored 5 and Greenwood had 4 rebounds.

vs. Cy Falls

The Spartans returned to the court Friday night to face a Cy Falls team that was 4-4, but two of those losses came to, ironically, Fort Bend Austin. And the Eagles looked similar to the Bulldogs. Maybe not as fast, but definitely with size and power. The Spartans kicked off their scoring with junior guard Ryen Greenwood hitting Cheeves cutting to the basket for the foul, and Cheeves converted both free throws, making it 5-2, Cy Falls. The Eagles applied defensive pressure that the Spartans struggled to overcome. We learned that the Spartans have no players who will go on to become NFL quarterbacks, as they threw too many interceptions. Future CEOs and entrepreneurs? Surely! They found themselves down 11-2 midway through the first quarter. An Ashby steal and assist to Zoboroski followed by an Ashby steal and basket for herself made it 13-6. Cheeves' hard-charging effort to the basket was a success and it was 13-8. Ashby AGAIN stole the ball and shot but missed. However, Cheeves rebounded and scored to make it 13-10 to end the quarter. This was Spartans basketball! But then the Eagles disrupted passes and controlled the boards in the second quarter. The Spartans could not find a rhythm on offense. The half ended down 24-10. The third quarter saw Cheeves again drive and then dish to Parker on the right baseline, and Parker knocked it in. Zoboroski found Davis, who converted a trey to make the score 34-15. Davis followed by saving a Cy Falls basket with a block off the fast break. It was apparent the Eagles played about as well as a team can. They committed few turnovers, used their athleticism and converted baskets that often fall astray. The third quarter ended with Greenwood swishing two of three foul shots to make the score 36-17. Coach Green again went to her bench. Junior center Evynn Stallwitz saw significant minutes, scoring a three-pointer off the pass from Perroni out of the paint. Junior Ella Pezzia grabbed an offensive rebound and scored. Pezzia followed with the assist to junior guard Julie Lee near the charity stripe. Zoboroski was fouled while shooting and sank both free throws. The final was 43-27. Cheeves led with 6 points. Parker had 5 rebounds. The highlight of the night may have been Coach Green's attire - a green Spartan pullover paired with bright yellow pants, which were reportedly custom ordered online. Co-eds were overheard complimenting the coach after the game. Green declined to comment on if they would be worn again in light of the loss.

The Spartans (4-5) next go to the C.E. King Tournament on Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week to face MacArthur, Wheatley,  and Channelview respectively. They return post-holiday to travel to Brenham on Tuesday, December 6, where Coach Green played for Blinn Junior College. She won 26 games vs. only 6 losses and averaged 14 points and 6 rebounds while earning NJCAA All-Region XIV honors. She spent her final two collegiate seasons at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She averaged over 14 points per game in each season while leading her team in scoring, rebounding, and three-pointers made. She was the Louisiana Sports Writer's Association Newcomer of the Year in 2009. She was named to the LSWA All-Louisiana Team and was a third team All-Sunbelt Conference selection. So Coach Green could hoop!