Stratford 42 vs. Memorial 38

The Spartans travelled to rival Memorial on Saturday morning needing a win to stay in the race for first place in the District. They were looking to avenge their only District loss and of course beat their main rival.

The beginning of the game looked like it was going to be a blow out for the Spartans. The scoring came quick, and the girls absolutely locked down Memorial. I sometimes focus a lot on scoring, but the defense must be recognized for what they did the entire first half. The Memorial guards had nothing to work with thanks to Zoe Thompson, Claire Kadane, Aniyah Cunnigham, Madeline John, and Allie Moss. All shots were contested from the perimeter. If Memorial was able to get the ball inside, the post was totally dominated by Shelby Thibodeaux, Stella Weiss, and Abigail Williams. These girls cleaned up rebounds and altered every shot that went up. This led to the Mustangs scoring a whopping one point in the first quarter. The Spartans would fare better on the offensive end. Zoe was able to have multiple steals and her speed led to two driving fast-break layups. She also hit a nice three-pointer from the top of the key. Shelby also had a nice basket,  and Stella drove the lane to drop a bucket and one from the free throw line. First quarter Spartans were up 13-1.

The second quarter was the same as Stratford continued to dominate all facets of the game. You could really see the frustration setting in on the Mustangs. Claire got things going with a nice jumper and got to the line for a free throw. Abigail then grabbed a rebound and put it back in for a basket. Aniyah got off a beautiful shot to add a three-pointer to close out scoring for the quarter. The defense stayed rock solid, only allowing one field goal. The score at half was Stratford 20, Memorial 3.

Not surprisingly the Mustangs weren’t going to give up and just go away quietly. They came out super aggressive in the second half and it paid off for them. They were able to find a few cracks in the defense and really started to put up points. They got underneath a few times, picked up a couple loose balls, and most importantly they rained in three-pointers. They scored 15 in the third to cut four off the Spartan lead. The Spartans also kept the points coming. Zoe stayed hot getting to more scores. Then Stella went to work with her head-fake drive to the lane. She got two of them to go down in heavy traffic and was also able to draw two fouls, resulting in a couple more free throws. Claire added another basket,  and Allie was able to get to the line to sink one free throw. The quarter would end with Stratford still up 13.

The last quarter was fast and furious as the Mustangs made an impressive push to fight back and make it a game. There was one ref, and he was really letting the girls play on both sides of the ball. The intensity was way up. Memorial got hot from the field making an array of shots in, including 4 threes for the quarter. Spartan points were harder to come by. Shelby worked hard and got two baskets,  and Stella kept working the lane to get two more as well. The momentum had shifted to Memorial and with little time left, they hit three straight three-pointers to cut the lead to 3. The Spartans did not panic as Coach Dixon drew up an inbound play. Then, surprisingly, the Mustangs fouled multiple times in a row on the inbound. The last foul after we got the ball in and ran off some clock would put Claire on the line to ice the game. She calmly stepped up and got the free throw we needed, and there was joy in Spartanville. This was a great effort by both teams and a fun one to watch. Final score Spartans 42, Mustangs 38.

Stratford 50 vs. Jersey Village 7

Stratford knew they needed one more win Wednesday to take at minimum a share of District. With staunch defense and great ball movement, they left no doubt from the opening tip. The Freshman Spartans’ growth and trust in one another was on full display and they decided for their last game they would make it one to remember.

The scoring started fast and never stopped as Allie Moss got a quick steal and drove for a basket to kick things off. Not to be outdone, Zoe Thompson also grabbed multiple steals and went in for two baskets of her own. Zoe later dropped in a nice three-pointer as well. Stella Weiss got to work underneath and drove for a highly contested bucket. It is hard to describe how good the defense was playing. Aniyah Cunnigham, Shelby Thibodeaux, and Stella grabbed multiple rebounds and didn’t allow any access to the basket. Clarie Kadane, Allie, and Zoe played as aggressive up front as they have all year, and the Falcon guards couldn’t stop turning the ball over to the Spartans. First quarter score Spartans were up 11-0.

The domination continued in the second quarter as Ginger Koss, Abigail Williams, Brooke Williams, and Phoebe Heidel came in and the defense didn’t skip a beat. They all had great stops, rebounds, and steals. Phoebe took one of the turnovers and drove half the court for a sweet lay-in to get in on the scoring. Abigail also chipped in a bucket off a rebound. Stella got another score by driving in the lane. Madeline John controlled the tempo at guard and created a couple of nice jumpers that found their mark. The paint was as usual controlled by Sophia Prejean, who got 6 blocks on the night and scored 8 points for the quarter. The Spartans were up huge at half,  29-2.

The third quarter saw the defense and scoring continue as the game was well in hand and the girls ran set plays and cutback on the fast breaks. All the Spartans stifled the Falcons, and they only got a last-second three that even got the home fans up and clapping. Madeline got another nice jumper and went to the line to add another. Sophia added two more baskets, one of them off a beautiful assist from Brooke. Allie was also able to add two more layups, and the rout was officially on. Stratford 40, Jersey Village 5 after three.

The fourth was closing time again and the girls finished strong. Stella drove for another score, and Phoebe went coast-to-coast for another nice drive to the basket. Allie saw something she liked and was able to have a nice run of three straight drives to the basket to add 6 for the quarter and tie Sophia with a game-high 12 points each. The final would score to end the game was Stratford 50, Jersey Village 7.

The Freshman Spartans would lock down a Co-District title and an overall record of 22-3 for the year. As a fan and parent, it was fun to watch the team get to trust in one another, have fun playing with one another, and all the girls had major improvement from the beginning of the year. Coach Dixon was a great leader and knew how to get the most out of the team. It has been a fun ride and the future is bright.

Now let’s all get out and support the Varsity Spartans as they start their playoff journey.