skip navigation

JV Girls Basketball Loses to Cy Falls But Squeaks By Cy Ridge

By Jeremy Moss, 01/13/25, 6:55PM CST

Share

JV 15 vs. Cy Falls Eagles 26

Stratford welcomed Cy Falls for the first game back after the New Year. It turns out the Eagles were the type of guest that spills things on your carpet and does not say a thing or offer to clean it up.

The Eagles came out quickly and showed early they knew how to move the ball around well. They played tight defense, and Sparty struggled to get to the hole. Zoe Thompson was able to get to the dish for a layup, and Claire Kadane got to the line for two free throws. That was it for the Spartans in the first quarter. The defense did hold up, led by Allie Moss, Aniyah Cunnigham, Zoe, and Claire up top. Stella Weiss played great defense in the post on her way to three blocks on the night. At the end of one, the Spartans were down 4-7.

The second quarter was a mess for Stratford as the Eagles did a good job of getting us out of our game. The only bright side was some good rebounding by Brooke Sponsel, Abigail Williams, and Reese Oppermann. Zoe was able to get one layup. At the half, Stratford was down 10.

Sparty isn’t used to being down and outplayed, so it was a testament to the girls' fight in the second half. The girls fought back in the third by holding the Eagles to two points. All the team played solid defense, including Madison Williams with some energy off the bench. Zoe went coast-to-coast with a steal for a lay-in. Allie got to the line for two free throws, and Stella added a free throw as well. The girls got it to within five, but the Cy Falls ball movement and defense proved to be a little too much. Zoe scored again, and Stella got to the line for one more free throw. The night would close out with a rough one to start the New Year, Stratford 15 - Cy Falls 26.

 

JV 28 vs. Cy Ridge Rams 23

The Spartans visited the Rams, and what appeared to be another rough night, turned into learning victory that can help for the rest of the year.

The Spartans came out looking just like a repeat of the last game. The offense was stagnant, and the defense was not up to its usual tenacity. The Rams found their way to easy baskets and layups on in-bounds plays. The girls fought hard to stop the surge led by Zoe Thompson, Claire Kadane, Allie Moss, and Aniyah Cunningham on the quick Rams' guards. The Rams had some height, and it showed as Brooke Sponsel, Abigail Williams, and Stella Weiss had to fight for every inch in the post. Sparty was a complete mess on offense as Cy Ridge packed things in with a two-three zone. Thankfully the defense held, and Aniyah was able to drop a long three to get Stratford on the board. After one, it was Stratford 3 - Cy Ridge 6.

The second was painfully similar to the first except we were able to get some shots to go down as well. Stella led the way by driving into the lane, getting a basket and a free throw. Brooke started to get her game going by rebounding and putting one back as well. Thankfully, Aniyah caught fire and nailed another beautiful three-pointer to close things out. Stratford was still down and trying to find their way at the half, 11-15.

Sparty came out of the half and looked like a new team; the team we have seen all year. The defensive pressure ramped up as we went back to our two-three zone. All the girls got involved. Reese Oppermann came into the post grabbing rebounds and playing good defense. Allie and Stella got a block apiece, and Aniyah, Zoe, Abigail, Allie, and Claire went to work on the Rams' guards. Brooke and Stella got back to controlling the glass and the points off defense came rolling in. Zoe got two layups off steals as well as delivering a nice assist to Stella for a basket. Claire made a slick move and scored, followed up with an assist to Brooke for a bucket. Brooke would score again and add a free throw. Cy Ridge was left to shoot long-distance and were able to hit a couple, but after three, the Spartans were up by one, 24-23.

Stratford came out in the fourth and decided Cy Ridge was DONE for the night. All the girls played great defense as the Rams couldn’t do a thing on offense. The frustration was apparent as the Spartans clamped down on Cy Ridge’s three-point shooter and cut off any other options. Zoe scored once more, and Abigail scored off a solid rebound put-back. That would be it for the game. After a timeout, the girls went into stall mode and finished off a hard-fought win. It was a second half to learn from and be proud of. The final score was Stratford 28 - Cy Ridge 23.