vs. MacArthur

The Stratford girls basketball team traveled to what felt like Beaumont but was in fact, C.E. King High School, located in eastern Harris County, last Monday & Tuesday for a three-game tournament. They kicked off against MacArthur High at 8 a.m. on Monday followed by Nimitz High at 12:30 p.m. MacArthur is named for General Douglas MacArthur, who served as General of the Army for the United States in World War II, and played a prominent role in the Pacific Theater. Nimitz was named for Chester Nimitz, who also played a major role in WW2 as Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet, and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, commanding Allied air, land and sea forces. So it is only fitting that the Spartans' fortunes on the day were helped tremendously by the efforts of floor generals JaKyla Cheeves (Senior) and Rachel Ashby (Sophomore).

The Spartans controlled the MacArthur game from the start. Ashby executed a half-court pass to junior guard Ryen Greenwood for the first points of the game. From there the Spartans held a huge advantage in time of possession but could not consistently get the ball in the basket. An Ashby steal and fast-break layup made the score 6-0 with 30 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Cheeves hit senior forward Maggie Parker in the paint for the bank shot to close out the quarter 8-0. Cheeves and then Ashby both drove and scored on separate series to start the second quarter. Ashby had a steal and heads-up pass to Cheeves on the fast break to go up 14-3. Sophomore forward Kendall Davis rebounded her own shot and scored. Davis followed by driving and scoring, following the pass from sophomore Ella O'Connor, and it was 20-6 at the half. Coming out of halftime Cheeves passed to sophomore forward Bella Perroni on the block for a 22-9 lead. Ashby hit back-to-back threes, including a 23-footer, to go up 28-17. The Panthers came alive in the third quarter, knocking down four threes, but Ashby closed it out with a drive from the wing for a floating conversion and the Spartans led 32-22 going into the fourth quarter. Cheeves hit Parker in the right corner for a three. Ashby hit Cheeves on the left wing for a trey and it was 38-22. Ashby had a steal and resulting layup. Davis' defensive pressure helped Ashby secure yet another steal, then passed to Cheeves for the layup. Junior forward Kendall Zoboroski nailed a three after receiving the assist from the paint by Cheeves and it was 45-24. Ashby scored the final Spartan basket after driving around the King defense and pulling up on the left baseline. The shot bounced high off the rim and in...shooter's touch. Head Coach Alexis Green went to her bench midway through the fourth quarter. Final was 45-37. Ashby led the scoring with 16 points and an astounding 10 steals in addition to 5 assists! Cheeves had 9 points. Both Parker and Davis had 7 rebounds.

vs. Nimitz

Game two against the Nimitz Cougars was physical from the start, but Cheeves matched it and harassed the Cougars offense to such distraction that Ashby stole the ball and scored first for the Spartans. Cheeves then drove and dished to Davis for two. Greenwood hit Ashby on the right wing for a trey. Cheeves hit Ashby on the left wing for another three and it was 10-3. From there the Spartans went cold, creating makeable shots but not converting. And they got to the free throw line frequently but the ball would only kiss every part of the rim and avoid the net. With less than five minutes left in the first half, the Spartans were down 12-16. Ashby finally scored a three from the right wing then another from the top of the key and the half ended down 19-20. Greenwood got the Spartans started in the third quarter with a three-pointer from the left corner. Cheeves to Ashby in the right corner resulted in another three. Cheeves found herself trapped in the left corner, smartly split the trap, and dribbled in for the easy two, and the Spartans were back up 27-26. Parker hit a jumper from the right baseline. Ashby caused a loose ball, and Cheeves stole it and scored to make it 31-29. Davis grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled, converting one from the line. Cheeves stole the ball with the seconds diminishing but could not convert at the buzzer and regulation ended 32-32. In overtime, Zoboroski was fouled while shooting and blessedly made two free throws. Ashby hit Cheeves with a tough pass to corral, but Cheeves did just that and barely scored on the fast break to go up 36-32. Ashby put the nail in the coffin with a trey from the right corner and the team's defense did its part, winning 39-33. Ashby scored 17 and Cheeves had 8. The floor generals came through!

vs. C.E. King

The Spartans returned to C.E. King on Tuesday to face the host school. The Panthers came into the game 7-0, with their wins ranging from 77- to 38-point margins. The Spartans had their work cut out for them! Parker carried the Spartans on her back in the first quarter with three treys to give her team an 11-5 advantage. Cheeves hit a three of her own from the left corner and the lead was 14-5. Coach Green adjusted her rotation to keep ball-handlers on the court and O'Connor saw significant minutes, for example. The tide began to shift in the second quarter. Cheeves drove the left side for a layup and the lead was only 16-13. Cheeves to Ashby to Davis for two made it 18-18. Davis scored off an offensive rebound and the last lead of the game was at 20-18. The Panthers played strong inside, shot the ball well, pressed and kept up the defensive pressure. When Davis drove down the middle of the lane and scored next, the Spartans were down 22-31 and that's how the first half ended. In the third, when Ashby found Parker on the left wing for another three, the Spartans were down 25-39. Cheeves drove and scored to make it 27-41. Parker faked a three and dribbled in for a two-point swish, 29-47. From the right wing Greenwood found Davis cutting to the basket for two, 29-47 and that ended the quarter. In the fourth, Ashby fed Cheeves, who hit a three. Zoboroski found Cheeves for two, and it was 36-47 with approximately four minutes remaining in the game. Nine points was as close as they would get in the second half. Davis scored off an offensive rebound (seeing a pattern here?) and Davis was fouled shooting, converting both from the charity stripe, and the final was 41-59, by far the best game the Panthers have faced thus far was from the Spartans. Cheeves and Parker both scored 14 points. Parker also had 9 rebounds. Davis scored 13 and had 8 rebounds. Zoboroski also had 8 rebounds.

Varsity’s (6-6) next game is December 6th in Brenham.