vs. Jersey Village

On Friday, January 12th the Stratford Varsity Girls Basketball Team traveled north to Jersey Village. Windy conditions had arrived and cold was forecast in the coming days. Junior point guard Rachel Ashby has spent approximately two and a half seasons magnificently leading the Spartans. It seems clear the rest of the District knows a key to beating the Spartans is keeping Ashby in check.

The Spartans' first points occurred when Ashby pitched to and simultaneously set a screen for freshman guard Tess Stephenson, who drove down the lane, splitting defenders for a layup. Senior guard Emma Adisa to junior forward Kendall Davis to Senior forward Kendall Zoboroski for another layup, and it was 4-4. Davis grabbed an offensive rebound and kicked out to Adisa for a jumper,  and the Spartans were down by one. The Falcons controlled the boards, tossed in a prayer at the buzzer, and led 13-7 at the end of the quarter.

A wild shot went up and Stephenson somehow got control of the ball while falling out of bounds. She passed to Zoboroski for a bucket, and the Falcons led 19-11. The opposition was converting more of their shots than the Spartans and Head Coach Audrisa Harrison took a timeout at the 4:57 mark. Coming out of the timeout, junior guard Meghan Hallmark snared an offensive rebound, put it back in, and the Spartans were down 22-13. Stephenson had the ball behind the three-point line and started to drive. The defense collapsed and she pulled up to drop in an 18-footer. Almost the exact same play happened again, Stephenson scored, and it was 24-17. The clock was winding down in the half. Ashby was swarmed by defenders, desperately trying to find an open shot or an open teammate, when Stephenson darted to an open area far from the basket. Ashby delivered the ball and Stephenson, who has a gorgeous shooting form, let fly a 30-foot, nothing-but-net shot, to end the half. Spartans were down 27-20.

Davis scored off an offensive rebound, and it was 27-22. Then it was like the wind was blowing inside on Spartans' shots. And that freeze arrived early. Passes arrived a half-second too late. Shooting was cold. Was it phantom ice that resulted in real travel calls that were not travels? These uncool calls led to Falcon points. One player wiped tears of frustration after being called for a shooting foul with both feet planted on the ground and both hands straight up in the air. Blessed warmth arrived only when Stephenson nailed a hot half-court shot to end the quarter 39-25, leaving Jersey Village fans slack-jawed and igniting hope for a run on the Spartans' side.

Ashby unleashed a long pass in transition to Stephenson, who tipped the ball to Zoboroski for a lay-in. Hallmark attacked a bigger defender and converted to make it 39-29. The Spartans in the second half gave one of their better rebounding efforts of the season. They put their bodies on the opposition, got off their feet,  and went to the ball. But the Falcons somehow came down out with the rock way more often. Stephenson passed to Ashby on the out-of-bounds play, and Ashby went right back to Stephenson in what has become a reliable scoring weapon. Stephenson dropped in a three from the left corner and it was 39-32. When Ashby spied senior forward Ella Pezzia open under the basket and Pezzia scored, the Spartans were within six at 41-35. The Falcons went into a delay on offense. The Spartans were forced to foul to stop the clock and that sent their opponent to the foul line, where they converted the charity shots. The freeze had ultimately settled in. The Spartans took 14 more shots at the basket that night, but made only two more than their opponent. Jersey Village was afforded 13 more free throws and converted 87%. Ashby was given very few open looks at the basket. The final was 47-36.

Stephenson led with 16 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Zoboroski and Adisa each scored six points. The Spartans (13-10, 4-3) next face Cy Fair at Stratford on Tuesday at 6:30 pm.

vs. Memorial

On Tuesday, January 9th the Stratford Varsity Girls Basketball Team faced off against rival Memorial. Both teams sported similar records and were tied for first in the District. Junior point guard Rachel Ashby wanted this game. She knew players on the other team more than any on the schedule. It was personal. The Spartans struck first when freshman guard Tess Stephenson hit senior guard Emma Adisa on an out-of-bounds play for a nine-foot jump shot. Stephenson followed with a great block on a driving Mustang. Ashby drove down the center of the lane and kicked to junior forward Kendall Davis on the left baseline for a 10-foot swish, and it was 4-3. Ashby drove again, found senior forward Kendall Zoboroski for a 17-footer, and it was 6-6. Davis set a screen that freed Ashby for a three-pointer. Memorial made a run to end the quarter and the Spartans were down by four, 13-9.

Ashby drove and duked past multiple Mustangs for a layup to start the second quarter. Memorial is bigger across the board and they established dominance in rebounding. Nevertheless, the Spartan defense held, and when Davis grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back up, the Spartans were down by one. Memorial started making shots and suddenly, inexplicably, they were up by 13. Before the half ended, Ashby tossed in a trey, and the Spartans were down by 10 at the buzzer.

Zoboroski scored a three-pointer off the assist from Ashby for the third quarter's first points. Ashby dropped in her own three off the assist from Stephenson. Ashby stole the ball and laid it in over the bigger opponents. Stephenson spied Ashby on another out-of-bounds play, and Ashby let fly from behind the arc. The Spartans closed the gap to one. In a flurry of plays, Memorial executed their best Dikembe Mutumbo impressions, minus the finger wagging, and blocked a slew of Spartan shots. The quarter ended with the Spartans down by six.

Stephenson hit Ashby on the left wing, and Ashby launched a successful three-pointer. Ashby to Stephenson resulted in another three, and the game was tied, 34-34! Memorial fans were moribund. Spartan fans were on the edge of their seats. Yet the game swung again. The Mustangs knocked down shots in quick succession. With two minutes remaining, the Spartans were down nine. Ashby looked uncharacteristically tired. She played the entire game and was pressured every second. She gave it her all. The final was 44-34, Memorial. Ashby and her teammates will get at least one more chance at their rival before the season ends.

Ashby ultimately scored 20 points. Stephenson had three points and 11 rebounds. Zoboroski had five points and eight rebounds. Davis had four points and seven rebounds.