vs. Westfield

The Stratford Girls Varsity Basketball Team traveled to Westfield High School on Tuesday, November 12. They continue to play without Senior point guard Rachel Ashby and Sophomore g/f Tess Stephenson, who are helping the volleyball team to tremendous postseason success. Senior g/f Layla Lloyd was immediately impactful, knocking in two early three-pointers, the last off the assist from Freshman guard Ava Gibson. Head Coach Audrisa Harrison continued her strategy of rotating a lot of players throughout the game. Regardless of who was in, the Spartans struggled to control the boards or protect the ball. They found themselves down by nine at the end of the first quarter.

The Spartan defense picked up in the second quarter. If the football team needs help in the secondary, they should give a look to Sophomore guard Riley O'Connor, who jumped passing lanes and created havoc at times. Senior forward Kendall Davis attacked the basket and scored. Senior forward Gretchen Loveless and Davis battled mightily on both ends down low. Sophomore guard Camille Warren went coast-to-coast to score, then created another basket with a pass to Lloyd on the fast break. The quarter ended at 22-17, Mustangs.

O'Connor found Lloyd, who darted down the lane for a layup. Davis stole the ball at half court and then scored to make it 24-21. Then the buckets stopped falling. The Spartans got to the basket on offense but could not convert. They found themselves down by eleven to end the quarter.

Throughout the game, but especially in the fourth quarter, Davis repeatedly came down with rebounds only to have the defense play hack-the-arm to tie up the ball and the refs only called jump balls. It was a good thing CPS wasn't there. Lloyd had a lovely full-court drive for a score. Loveless grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in. The Spartans were unable to chip into the deficit and lost, 44-30.

Lloyd finished with 14 points. Davis had nine points, six rebounds, and untold bruises.

vs. Waller

Friday, November 15 saw Waller come to Stratford. The Bulldogs were not particularly big, but their starters were strong, fast, and aggressive. They came out pressing and it was a challenge to break. Nevertheless, in three consecutive offensive series, the Spartans created solid shots at the basket yet came up empty. The Bulldogs did the same and made all three of their attempts. Then they continued to shoot lights-out while the Spartans watched their shots fall off the rim in a variety of ways. Gibson made a sweet spin move in the paint, sealed off the defense, and took her shot, only to be fouled. She converted one free throw to prevent the quarter from a shutout.

The basket's freeze began to thaw in the second quarter. Lloyd broke the press and found Davis, who scored underneath. Gibson had the ball down low and passed to Davis for a three. O'Connor delivered a whipsaw pass across the lane to Davis, and the Spartans were down 9-32 at the half.

Gibson CAME ALIVE after the half! She scored. She drove and scored again, was fouled, and converted the free throw. She forced a steal and converted the basket. Gibson then found Senior forward Bella Perroni for a long jump-shot along the right baseline, and the third quarter ended with the Bulldogs up 44-20.

There was no quit in the Spartans. Gibson, O'Connor, Davis, Lloyd, Perroni, and Loveless were among those who seemed determined to turn the tide. Gibson grabbed an offensive rebound and scored. She then delivered a pass that Warren converted into a trey. It was Warren's turn to shine. She and Perroni played a beautiful round of give-and-go before Warren scored. Warren followed with a steal and bucket. When she drove the length of the court to score yet again, it was 35-49. The final was 37-54.

Gibson scored 12 points, grabbed five rebounds, and snagged four steals. Davis had nine points and eight rebounds. Warren had nine points and six steals. Perroni had six rebounds. Loveless and Senior guard Aria Taylor each had five rebounds. The Varsity Spartans are 2-7. The non-District games they have been playing have given Coach Harrison the latitude to play the bench a bit deeper and give more players more court time while awaiting the games that matter...in District. They next face Spring at home on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.