STRATFORD vs. BELLAIRE:

The Stratford Girls Basketball Team tipped off its first playoff game in two years and were pumped to face Bellaire in the first round at Delmar Stadium last Tuesday. That excitement turned to determination after four turnovers on their first five offensive possessions. "Butterfingers" was a word that came to mind, and being that it was the night before Valentine's Day, that's not the candy that warms hearts. The Cardinals' defense seemed to focus on doubling Junior point guard Rachel Ashby as she brought the ball up the court, and while she handled the pressure, perhaps it threw off the offensive flow. The Cardinals dropped in three quick treys, and the Spartans found themselves down 0-11 at the 4:20 mark. Stratford's fans watched nervously. Freshman guard Tess Stephenson broke the ice with a three-point basket off the out-of-bounds play from Ashby. Junior guard Aria Taylor dropped in a 12-footer - assist from Ashby. At the 2:20 mark, it was 5-14. Ashby drove in and scored. She followed with a heady pass over the defense to Junior forward Gretchen Loveless under the basket for a bucket. Ashby followed with a pull-up near the free-throw line and dropped in a swish. She then forced a turnover and Taylor scored on the fast-break, and it was 13-14. Ashby hit Junior forward Bella Perroni down low on the right, and Perroni relayed it to Senior forward Kendall Zoboroski on the left for a basket. With the clock winding, Ashby stole the ball to stop Bellaire from a potential score,  and the quarter ended 15-16. Cupid carries two kinds of arrows; one with a sharp golden point, and the other with a blunt tip of lead. A person wounded by the golden arrow is filled with uncontrollable desire, but the one struck by the lead feels aversion and desires only to flee. Ashby's version of Cupid brought her gold-tipped arrows and made Spartans' hearts swell with her first quarter heroics.

The Cardinals scored two quick baskets in the second quarter. Zoboroski grabbed an offensive rebound and put it in. Stephenson found Ashby behind the arc on an out-of-bounds pass for a three,  and the Spartans remarkably took the lead, 21-20. Zoboroski dropped in three of four free-throws on consecutive plays. Three Spartan turnovers followed. Senior guard Emma Adisa finally found Taylor at the top of the key for a three-pointer. Junior forward Kendall Davis, still dealing with pain from a Memorial Mustang elbow to the mouth, worked hard down low on defense to help contain Bellaire's 6-foot leading scorer. The quarter was winding down as the Spartans brought the ball up the court. Ashby and Stephenson played hot-potato with the ball, as it was in danger of being taken away before Stephenson gained control far from the basket. She let fly from 38-feet before the horn and banked it in! It may not have swished, but it was string music nonetheless. The Spartans led 29-26!

Stephenson came out in the third quarter, moving right to left and hit a running jumper in the lane. Taylor dropped in a 15-footer. Ashby passed to Stephenson for a three. Taylor drove and scored,  and it was 38-32. Ashby hit Taylor on the outlet for a fast-break score. Hallmark drove the length of the court before dishing to Loveless for a short jumper. Loveless played the night with ferocity on the glass, battling for rebounds and forcing the Cardinals to expend energy for which they weren't prepared. Her name may be the antithesis to Valentine's Day traditions, but it was clear Loveless loved the battle. The quarter ended at 43-34.

Bellaire came out in the fourth quarter with a frenzied defensive effort. Stephenson broke the harassment when she got past the press and delivered the ball to an open Loveless under the basket for deuce. Bellaire drained a three. Taylor made a great offensive move after the pass from Ashby and scored to make it 47-40. The Cardinals hit another three, and it was 47-43. Ashby got a great look at a three of her own, but it rimmed out. Bellaire scored again. At 2:53, it was 47-45. Stephenson drove the lane while twisting her body to score. The Cardinals made another three. At 3:26, it was 49-48. Loveless grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled on the put-back. She converted one free-throw. Stephenson drove into the lane and knocked down a jumper. It was 52-48. On the defensive end, Stephenson forced a jump-ball and the Spartans had the arrow. Zoboroski dropped in a cold-blooded three-pointer off the assist from Stephenson. At the 1:20 mark, Stephenson scored again from the middle of the lane and it was 57-50. Bellaire hit another three. It was 57-53 with 1:30 on the clock. Stephenson scored again to go up by six. With 38 seconds remaining, Zoboroski drove and was fouled on the shot. She made one of two. Stephenson, the freshman wunderkind, in her role of Cupid, brought her lead-tipped arrows in the fourth quarter as the Cardinals clearly felt aversion from her dominance. Ashby, Stephenson, and Zoboroski played keep-away with the ball, and the Spartans prevailed 60-53 to advance to the second round of the playoffs.

Stephenson finished with 19 points, six rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Taylor had 15 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Ashby had seven points, six rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Loveless had six points and four rebounds. Davis didn't score, but her defensive efforts, along with her teammates in the post, limited Bellaire's leading scorer to 10 points, eight below her average and the point-differential in winning the game.

STRATFORD vs. FORT BEND TRAVIS:

The Stratford Girls Basketball Team faced Fort Bend Travis in the second round of the playoffs Friday night at Don Coleman Coliseum. The Tigers scored on their first possession with a shot from the paint. The Spartans came out cold and had several turnovers. However, the Tigers also went cold then down to freezing and the Spartans' defense forced a few turnovers of their own. It was 4:27 when Junior point guard Rachel Ashby dropped in two free-throws after being fouled on the drive-and-shoot. At the three-minute mark, Ashby put in a three-pointer after a pass from Junior guard Meghan Hallmark, and it was 5-2. With 42 seconds remaining, freshman guard Tess Stephenson drove the lane and went to her left hand (she's a righty), and it was 7-2. That's how the quarter ended in what felt like a war of attrition.

At 6:02, Stephenson scored on a short jumper to make it 9-2. At 5:08, the Tigers scored their first point in almost 10 minutes of action. Turnovers and missed shots were traded like Pokemon cards. At 3:12, the Tigers made it 10-5. Ashby rushed the ball up the backcourt and hit Senior guard Emma Adisa, who drove left of the lane, and when two defenders overcommitted, she spun toward the basket and put the ball in. Ashby passed from the right wing to Junior forward Kendall Davis, who scored on a contested layup. It was 14-7. With one minute remaining, a Tiger attempted to guard Ashby aggressively near the top of the key, while some Tiger fan, presumably her father, yelled "there you go, there you go, there you go" with bravado. Ashby dished to Stephenson and as the defense adjusted, Ashby dropped into position behind the arc and nailed a three-time pointer when Stephenson passed it right back. Silence reigned. Stephenson made a nice block on a Tiger shot, but they called a foul and made both free throws with five seconds remaining. Ashby got a good shot off on a long three at the buzzer,  but it bounced off the rim, and the half ended at 17-9.

Senior forward Kendall Zoboroski and Davis did a little shimmy and dance together before the second half started, and it was a reminder that if the Kendall and Kendall Show got rocking, good things happen. The Tigers scored a three. Stephenson answered immediately with a trey that was as cool as the other side of the pillow, assist to Ashby. Davis grabbed a defensive rebound and hit Adisa down the court. Adisa was fouled on her shot and made both free throws. The Tigers started making some buckets. Stephenson drove down the lane, was fouled, and the ball kissed the top of the backboard like it was reaching for mistletoe before dropping straight into the basket. At 5:22, it was 24-15. Junior guard Aria Taylor drove into the lane and scored a nine-foot jumper. Junior forward Gretchen Loveless passed from the right wing to Ashby, who took one dribble, set herself, and nailed another three. The Tigers dropped in two quick threes and Spartans' Head Coach Audrisa Harrison called timeout. It was 29-21 with 2:38 remaining. Hallmark recovered an offensive rebound and scored from 10 feet. Ashby was hot and made another three off the out-of-bounds pass from Stephenson with seven seconds left, and it was 34-23 going into the final eight minutes of play.

The fourth quarter started with three straight Spartan turnovers. Ashby finally forced a steal, and the play ended with Stephenson driving for a layup. The Tigers made a three and then scored again. It was 36-30 with 5:30 remaining, and Harrison took another timeout.

Back on the court, Stephenson blocked a shot. When the Tigers got the ball back, Stephenson forced a turnover. At around the four-minute mark, the Spartan offense deliberately slowed the pace but didn't score. At 2:25, Ashby stole the ball and the Spartans milked the clock down to 60 seconds. The Tigers got the ball back, but Stephenson intercepted a pass. With 32 seconds remaining, the Tigers fouled Ashby in the bonus, and Ashby converted both free throws. The Tigers scored, but it was too little, too late. The final was 39-32. The Spartans advance!

Ashby finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Stephenson had 12 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Zoboroski had six rebounds. The Spartans (19-13) will play in the Regional Quarterfinals for the first time in program history when they face No. 11 Hightower (23-3) at 7:30 pm on Tuesday at the Campbell Center in Aldine.