Tuesday 2/4 SHS vs. Memorial at the DCC

Love Stratford America!!! Our fans are respectable and supportive, our kids are well-behaved, and when they are not, our administrators and parents step in to humble them quickly!! The final score was 41-44. We will get them next time!

Friday 2/7 SHS vs. Cy Creek

On SHS senior night, we had one of the most exciting high school basketball games I have seen in a very long time! District-leading Cy Creek came to our house looking to secure the District Championship. But your Spartans were not about to give it to them without a fight! In the first quarter, we came out aggressively and focused and took a 17-9 lead. We were led in scoring by Joaquin Andrews, who continues to demonstrate why he is one of the best players in the District and in the city, with nine points. CJ Williams, who is one of the best sophomores in the District and in the city, had seven points, and JD Cheeves, who is a phenomenal top-tier, all-around scoring contributor, had a free throw.

Creek came storming back in the second quarter with a barrage of three-pointers to outscore us 12-23. At the half, the score was 29-32. In this quarter we had very balanced scoring with Kobe Hines scoring four points, and Trent Burke, CJ, JD, and Joaquin all contributing two points apiece. We were down, but we were very much in the game and could have easily been ahead if we would have drained a couple of makeable shots.

The second half was just a classic back-and-forth battle that saw neither team give in to fatigue as both teams really wanted this victory! Both teams played at a high level, but Creek slightly outscored us 12-13. In the third quarter, we were led by Joaquin with five points, JD with three, and Kobe and CJ contributing two points apiece. This was a very fast-paced quarter that was played at a very high level.

The fourth quarter was the most exciting quarter of the year! Back and forth, big shot after big shot, big defensive stops, and a chance at the end to win. This game had it all! We won this quarter 17-13. Midway through the quarter, we were down by seven, but fought back with key defensive stops, which led to fast-break layups. With just under two minutes to play, Joaquin made a spectacular driving layup that gave us a one-point lead. We had a chance to extend the lead with about a minute and half left, but the referee called a charge on a full-court drive by JD after we had gotten a key defensive steal. It was a pivotal call, as if we could have gotten that score, we probably would win the game. Instead, they came back, worked the clock down to under 30 seconds and were able to hit a well-contested, 15-foot free-throw-line jumper to take the one-point lead. We called a timeout, devised a play, and worked the ball around for about 25 seconds until Joaquin got the ball, but they keyed on him the entire possession, and he had to take a contested three-point shot that just rimmed out. We fouled them a couple of times and ended up with Joaquin throwing a full-court, Hail-Mary shot that fell short. The final score was 58-59. What a game! If only it had gone our way!

Joaquin led us in scoring again with 18 points. Since he has returned from his ankle injury, he has played top-tier basketball and been the leader we expected him to be for his senior season. CJ scored 13 points in the game and continued his stellar play since coming off his ankle and knee injuries. Creek’s guards were big and physical, and CJ and Kobe battled them all night and definitely held their own! Kobe contributed 12 points, mostly off his patented fearless floater drives to the basket. JD continued his consistent all-around play with 10 points in addition to his stellar defensive effort in this game. Trent ended up with five points for the game. The future of the SHS basketball program is in good hands with CJ, Kobe, and Trent!

The full display of this year’s team talent and competitiveness was on full display in this game. Our record does not show it, mainly due to injuries, but this is a quality team that will be a matchup problem for a lot of teams because of our size and skill. For the fourth year in a row, we are headed to the playoffs. What a phenomenal accomplishment for the program! The final game of the year will be Tuesday at Northbrook.