The Stratford Varsity Girls Basketball Team had only one game last week. Cy Fair came calling on Tuesday. Junior forward Kendall Davis got things started for the Spartans when she corralled the ball in the paint and inside-out to freshman guard Tess Stephenson for a three from the top of the key. Junior guard Rachel Ashby in just one series forced a steal, grabbed an offensive rebound, and scored on a scoop shot over the outstretched arms of two taller defenders. The Spartans followed with a series of offensive attacks in which they got good looks at the basket, but shots were rolling off the rim. Fortunately, the same was happening to the Bobcats. The first quarter ended with the Spartans down 8-5.

The scoring drought continued until Stephenson swished a 21-footer at the six-minute mark in the second quarter to make it 9-8, Bobcats. The Spartans kept their poise during a frustrating time of missed shots that should have gone in. The Bobcats? Not so much. By 3:43 remaining in the quarter, it got chippy with the Bobcats pushing, hooking under the basket, and looking quite frustrated. A trio of officials who might have been there for an intro session on how-to-call-fouls, simply watched, dispassionately. Junior guard Aria Taylor didn't help the Bobcats' feelings when she dropped in a shot on-the-move to go up 10-9. This is about the time the three-point gods smiled upon the Bobcats and frowned upon the Spartans. Ashby and Stephenson both got great looks and beautiful, arcing shots behind the line before unforgiving rims denied them. On the other side of the court, the Bobcats drained the same shots, and the half ended with the score 19-11.

Ashby nailed a much-needed three off the assist from Taylor to make it 22-14 in the third quarter. The Spartans pushed the tempo and Stephenson found Davis near the basket for a goal that made it 22-16. The Bobcats answered with another scoring burst. Senior forward Kendall Zoboroski responded with a pump fake, drive, and score after the cross-court pass from Stephenson to make it 29-18. Ashby dropped a rainbow pass to Stephenson on the block for a bucket. But the Bobcats answered with threes. It felt improbable how similar the shots looked on each end, while the Spartans' good shots caromed, ricocheted, rolled, dribbled, bounced, and recoiled. That applied to free-throws as well, and it was suddenly 38-23.

Taylor staunched the bleeding when she drove into the paint and dropped in a seven-footer. Ashby found Davis in the middle of the lane for a picturesque jumper to make it 38-28. The Spartans were not done despite dubious officiating in which the team learned the term "re-do" from the ref after what appeared to be a half-court violation on the Bobcats that would reward the ball to the Spartans. A quick Google search does not find "re-do" in officiating lexicon. But the definition that night was "give the ball back to the Bobcats." When the Spartans got back on the offensive, Junior guard Meghan Hallmark grabbed an offensive rebound and found Senior guard Emma Adisa roaming for a bucket. Adisa followed with a trey off the assist from Ashby to make it 43-33. Adisa then found Stephenson, who drove hard down the left side to make it 43-35 with momentum potentially shifting. Davis's offensive rebound and score made it 45-37, but the Bobcats kept finding a response. The final was 52-41.

Stephenson led the Bobcats with 13 points. Davis had eight points and seven rebounds. Adisa also had eight points. Ashby contributed six points, four rebounds, five steals, and three assists. The Spartans (8-8) next play Tuesday, December 12th at home vs. Cy Creek.