Stratford 37 vs. Ft. Bend Marshall 20:

If you like a rough and tumble style of basketball, then you would have been in for a treat as the Spartans visited The Marshall Buffaloes for a Friday tussle. The Spartans had to fight a series of strange and often one-sided calls but showed their grit and ability to play a hard style of basketball.

The first quarter started out good and there seemed to be a flow to the game. Controlling the flow was Sophia Prejean, and she went to work early and often for Stratford. The offense went down low, and she delivered with two baskets and three more from the line. She was the only Spartan to score for the quarter. The Buffs couldn’t get on the board as the girls all played solid defense. The quarter ended at 7-0.

The second quarter is when things started to get mired down as the Buffs stepped up the physicality and all the calls seemed to go against us. Allie Moss finally was able to connect on a layup and a jumper to tally 4 for the quarter. Zoe Thompson used her speed and defense to lay in a basket. Sophia continued to fight through some physical play and added another basket as well as a free throw. All the girls helped on defense, including Anyiah Cunnigham, Madeline John, and Ginger Koss, on the Marshall guards. The paint was patrolled by Abigail Williams, Stella Weiss, and Shelby Thibodeaux. The Buffs could only manage 6 points for the half because of the commitment to defense of the entire Spartan team. Half time score was 16-6, Spartans.

The start of the third quarter saw Marshall really cut into the Spartan lead. The Buffs played extreme hands-on basketball and got paid off with some steals and layups on the other end. Stella got to work down low and drove to get a basket. She also got fouled on another drive and hit a free throw. Allie was finally able to get to the line for a free throw as well. Any momentum Marshall had was squashed by Zoe Thompson. She had already recorded 6 points, including a perfect pass from Shelby for a layup. She then decided she had had enough of the poking and prodding from the opposing guards and gave them a taste of their own medicine. She stole the ball back-to-back and drove for two quick layups. This really changed the game, and the Spartans took a 30-13 lead into the fourth, led by her 10 for the quarter.

If the first three quarters were rough, the fourth was the icing on the cake. The floor seemed the place to be as there were tie-ups and loose balls all over the court. All the Spartans didn’t back down and fought for every ball. Abigail got a nice bucket, and Zoe added another one as well. Allie also got a jumper and added a free throw. One of the highlights to close out the game was two big blocks by Sophia to make up for a hard foul against Aniyah earlier in the quarter. The game would end Stratford 37- Marshall 20.

Stratford 42 vs. Spring Woods 7:

The last game before the break saw the Spartans host the Spring Woods Tigers. The Spartans had already defeated the Tigers once in the SBISD Tournament, and the outcome would be the same the second time around.

Again, Stratford controlled this game wire to wire. The opening tip, which typically leads to Spartan points was called a violation on the Tigers. Sophia Prejean still managed to leave her mark on the start of the game. The inbounds came to Allie Moss, who fired a quick pass to Sophia in the post for an easy basket. Sophia followed up with a nice corner three and the Spartans were off to the races. As usual the defense was stifling, and the girls rotated in and out for the quarter and spread the scoring around nicely. Stella Weiss got her scoring groove back and dropped in two shots. Not to miss out on the fun, Brooke Sponsel cleaned up down low and added 4 points of her own. Brooke also had a nice assist to Zoe Thompson, who got a bucket. The first quarter ended 15-3,  Stratford.

The second was more of the same, but the Tigers did manage to hit a three and a free throw. Little did they know that would be the last points they would see for the afternoon. Shelby Thibodeaux completely controlled the boards on her way to ten boards. Shelby also chipped in four points, and along with her post mate, Abigail Williams, who took anything the Tigers wanted to do down low away. Sophia kicked in another bucket and had multiple rebounds as well as two blocked shots. Brooke did her part with 2 more points and multiple rebounds. The half score was 22-7,  Stratford.

The Spartan guards really tightened their defense in the remaining half as the Tigers had nowhere to go and nothing to do but put up contested long-range shots that were too often off the mark. This led to many Stratford opportunities to drive to the basket off steals, long rebounds, and turnovers. The ball was moving around beautifully, and the girls worked on set plays and passes. Claire Kadane scored twice on drives and added two free throws, Allie got two baskets, Zoe and Sophia got on the board again as well. Ginger Koss also worked hard on the boards and scored two buckets of her own. Abigail had multiple hustle plays and rebounds. The defense closed it out led by Phoebe Heidel, Madeline John, and Aniyah Cunningham. Not all the girls scored in this game, but they all played a big part in the victory and second half shut out. Santa came early and the Spartans sent the fans home with a stocking-full of wins and a 4-0 District record. Stratford 42 - Spring Woods 7.