Varsity entered the week at 3-4, having suffered its worst loss of the year to No. 2 Houston-area-ranked Seven Lakes. Overcoming injuries and illnesses with several key players, the team righted the ship with a string of wins against quality opponents.

vs. Eisenhower

Stratford started the week hosting Eisenhower in the first home game of the year. Supported by a raucous crowd, Stratford pulled ahead early for a 44-22 halftime lead in route to a 71-55 Spartan victory. The win featured a monster 34-point, 17-rebound effort from Rice commit Keanu Dawes, with Cam Cronin pitching in 11 points, Wes Wohlfahrt with 8 points, Kamari Stanfill with 6 points and 5 boards, Triston Williams and Travis Dunwoody with 5 points each, and Heayden Daly with 4 points.

vs. Randle & Katy Taylor

The team finished the week competing in the Lamar Consolidated ISD Varsity tournament. The Spartans started off with a blowout 79-38 thumping of Randle High School on Thursday morning. Later in the day, on the strength of 35 points from Keanu Dawes and 22 from Cam Cronin, the Spartans overcame a halftime deficit to triumph 79-72 over a game Katy Taylor team.

vs. Willis

Friday morning, Varsity completed the tournament pool play with a 64-50 victory over Willis, powered by 21 from Keanu Dawes, 11 from Cam Cronin, and 8 each by Paul Skoutelakis and Travis Dunwoody. The win gave the Spartans a perfect 3-0 record in pool play and qualified the team for the tournament’s Platinum bracket and a matchup against Langham Creek Friday evening.

vs. Langham Creek

In the opening Platinum bracket game, Varsity battled to a 7-point halftime lead, but the second half brought a furious run where Langham Creek came back to take an 8-point lead late in the 4th quarter. Stratford made its own comeback in the final minutes to cut the deficit to 1 point, but couldn’t retake the lead and fell 60-57.

vs. Foster

In the final game of the tournament, Stratford took on the host Foster High School on Saturday. By this time, the team was playing without several rotation players, including starters Keanu Dawes and Wes Wohlfahrt. Led by Cam Cronin’s sharpshooting, Triston Williams’ work down low, and huge step-up performances by Heayden Daly, Payton Sarrat, and Will Messer, the Spartans came away with a 54-51 win to capture 3rd place in the 16-team tournament.

Varsity now sits 8-5 on the season with critical matchups this week. On Tuesday, the Spartans host Klein Collins at 7 pm. Then on Friday, the team travels to Strake Jesuit to battle the Crusaders, also a 7 pm start.

Come on out - loud and proud - and support Varsity Basketball in these key matchups.