Friday, December 6th - The band is back together. The Varsity Spartan Girls Basketball Team have been waiting for Senior point guard Rachel Ashby and Sophomore do-it-all Tess Stephenson to finish their magical ride with the Volleyball Team. It finally happened when Fort Bend Bush came to Stratford's home court and left wondering what the heck just happened.

Senior forwards Kendall Davis and Layla Lloyd, Senior guard Megan Hallmark, Sophomore guard Riley O'Connor and Freshman guard Ava Gibson started the game. Sharp-shooting O'Connor scored first for the Spartans with a three-pointer from the top of the key after Hallmark got out of a double team with the assist. The Broncos came out pressing and a Lloyd-to-Hallmark-to-Davis fast-break score broke it quite nicely. Senior guard Aria Taylor and Sophomore guard Camille Warren checked in, and Taylor promptly found Warren for a bucket. Taylor drove and dished to Senior forward Gretchen Loveless, and it was 11-6, Spartans. With 3:42 on the clock, Stephenson checked in. Forty-one seconds later she swished her first basket of the season while befuddling her stumbling defender with a side step. At 1:56, Ashby entered the game. It was like watching a great teacher take over the classroom and elevate every student. She found Gibson open, who shot, was fouled, and made both free throws. Stephenson made an athletic save to keep the ball from going out of bounds, and Gibson scored to end the quarter, 22-11.

Early in the second quarter, Ashby grabbed a defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast to score. Warren found Ashby in the middle of the paint, who kicked it out to Hallmark for a short jumper. Taylor passed to Stephenson, who split two defenders and converted. Ashby drove inside and spied O'Connor outside for a trey. The Spartans shot a lot of free throws, going 17-for-25, with the Broncos in foul situations throughout the game. Warren unleashed a bomb to score, and the half ended 39-21.

Nearly two minutes into the third quarter, Stephenson scored a three off the assist from Ashby. Be prepared to read that a lot the rest of the season. O'Connor forced a turnover that Ashby grabbed and relayed to Stephenson on the fast break, and it was 44-28. Ashby immediately followed with a steal and pass to Stephenson for another fast-break score. Stephenson knocked down a three off the out-of-bounds pass from Sophomore Sophia Prejean. Ashby found Taylor for a long two from the left corner. With three seconds remaining, O'Connor secured an offensive rebound and put the ball in, and it was 60-33.

Davis's father, Jon, may have had the most fun of any fan with his younger daughter also on the court as a cheerleader. There is nothing wrong with a dad mimicking the cheers from the stands! Not to mention the ball-playing Davis has been shooting hot thus far this season with 44% made from the field, 38% from three-point-land and 84% from the charity stripe. Head Coach Audrisa Harrison appeared to try to take the pedal off the gas, but Senior forward Bella Perroni mashed that pedal like a Fast and Furious audition. She made the most beautiful play of the game with a textbook drop-step to score. She grabbed rebounds and led fast breaks. Perroni scored off an offensive rebound, was fouled, and converted the free throw. The Spartans played their best game of the season. They converted 41% of their shots. Wave after wave of Spartans attacked the Broncos on each end of the court. Senior guard Emerson Berg knocked in a 12-footer off the assist from Warren, and the final was 74-39.

Stephenson scored 20 points in just 14 minutes of action! O'Connor scored eight. Both are just sophomores! Ashby had seven points and seven assists. Hallmark had seven points. Davis had six points and six rebounds. Lloyd and Perroni each also had six points. The Spartans' record sits at 6-7, and they have won four in a row. District play starts Tuesday, December 10th at Cy Creek.