vs. Cy Ridge
On Wednesday, January 8th the Spartans traveled to Cy Ridge. Despite a qualmish afternoon, Senior point guard Rachel Ashby was the recap in the first quarter. She found Sophomore guard Tess Stephenson behind the line for a three from the left wing to start the scoring. Ashby then drove to the basket and converted. She heaved a long outlet to Stephenson for a bucket. Ashby drove and banked it in. She disgorged a three from the right wing, assist to Stephenson. Ashby scored another layup off a sweet pass from Stephenson. Ashby expelled the ball to Freshman guard Ava Gibson, who made a strong move to the basket to score. And as time expired and the defense gagged, Ashby hurled past defenders and ejected the ball into the basket as the first quarter clock expired, to put the Spartans up 19-4. It was the Rams who were nauseous.
Sophomore Camille Warren started the second quarter with a bang. She stole the rock and relayed it to Senior guard Megan Hallmark for a layup. Warren snared an offensive rebound and laid it in. She found Sophomore guard Riley O'Connor for a three from the left wing, and it was 28-8. The Rams made a seven-point run. The Lady Spartans' Head Coach Audrisa Harrison took a timeout, put the ball back in Ashby's hands, and derailed the run. O'Connor threw a dart to Stephenson for a layup. Sophomore forward Sophia Prejean grabbed an offensive rebound and scored, and the half ended, 32-19.
Senior guard Aria Taylor and Ashby combined for a double team that resulted in Ashby nailing a three to start the second half. Taylor then found Stephenson for another three. The Spartans applied significant defensive pressure and the Rams were stifled for most of the third quarter. Ashby had an offensive rebound and scored. Stephenson got an offensive rebound and found O'Connor for the score. Prejean grabbed yet another one off the glass and laid it in. When Warren found Stephenson for a three as the seconds ticked down to end the third, it was 49-23.
The Spartans took their foot off the defensive brakes in the final quarter. Stephenson knocked down yet another three off the assist from Ashby. Senior forward Bella Perroni corralled a defensive rebound and charged like a fullback straight through the defense, going the length of the court to score. The final was 58-36.
Stephenson led with 18 points. Ashby had 16 points and 9 steals. O'Connor had five points and six steals.
vs. Memorial
Saturday, January 11th, Memorial awaited at Don Coleman Coliseum. The first quarter was a war of attrition. Defense was the highlight. The Spartans made four free throws. The Mustangs converted two three-pointers, and the Spartans were down 4-8 going into the second quarter.
Stephenson nailed a step-back 16-footer early in the second to make it 6-10. Senior forward Kendall Davis received the ball on the wing, made a smart move to the basket, was fouled on the shot, and made one of two free throws. Stephenson charged hard down the lane, breaking past three defenders to score. Davis was a stalwart on defense. When the opposition scored, it was easier to do it behind the arc than in Davis's face. Stephenson dropped in a 22-footer, and the Spartans were within three. Gibson got a steal but couldn't convert. Stephenson had an outstanding blocked shot, but the Spartans didn't turn it into points. O'Connor had a great steal, but the Spartans could not make hay when the sun shined, and the half ended still down by three.
The Spartans came out ready to jump on the Mustangs and freakishly missed three consecutive layups. Finally, Gibson scored off the out-of-bounds play from Stephenson, and it was still a three-point game. The Spartans were poised to get it within one point or a tie when a turnover ensued. This game was imminently winnable. What followed was a series of offensive and defensive lapses that put the Spartans behind by 10 with 3:23 remaining in the third. Ashby got it to within six points with a three-pointer off the assist from Prejean. But the shots simply wouldn't fall.
The Spartans shot 7-48 from the field, 3-19 from behind the arc, and 8-16 from the charity stripe. The Mustangs did a good job of clogging the paint and contesting many of Stephenson's shots, but there were plenty of layups and three-pointers that refused to go in. This is a team of good shooters that shot a statistical anomaly. The final was 25-36, Mustangs.
Stephenson led with 10 points and seven rebounds. Davis had four points and seven rebounds. Ashby had three points, four rebounds, and four steals.
The Spartans are 14-9 overall and 5-2 in District play. Cy Creek visits Stratford on January 15th. Stratford travels to Northbrook on January 18th.