Spartans learn to play with consistency

Times Reporter   

 

The Strathmore High School (SHS) Spartans traveled to Okotoks on Feb. 12 only to be trounced once again by Holy Trinity Academy on the varsity boys basketball court. The Spartans had lost to Holy Trinity 78-40 on Dec. 11, and this time, lost by an even greater margin of 96-64.

“They shot the ball well from behind the line,” Spartans coach Ken Smith said of his opposition. “They’re one of the top teams in the province. They’re really big, strong, athletic – they’re huge.”

The Spartans allowed 25 points in the first quarter, and 30 points in the third.

“We lost the first, second, and third quarters. The third was the worst,” Smith said. “We gave them too big of a cushion at the start. We wanted to be competitive. In the fourth quarter, the boys showed that they could play, and make adjustments. They did a great job.”

In the fourth, SHS only allowed Holy Trinity to score 13 points.

“We controlled the game in that quarter there, it was a real good feat. They saw some things that we hadn’t been prepared for – offensively and defensively,” Smith said. “We have to limit our turnovers; again, that’s our Achilles heel. We turned the ball over 20 or so times, and they converted on every one of them. That’s a minimum of 40 points.”

Scoring roughly 60 points is enough to win a high school basketball game Smith said, but the team still needs to work on their defense. He’s looking at veteran Adrian Doig to lead the charge.

“He was a warrior in there. He really turned the game around for us by, not necessarily making plays with the ball but playing defensively so strong,” Smith said. “He was taking all of their options away when he was on the floor and it frustrated them, especially in the fourth quarter. He really set an example.”

SHS also hosted the Spartan Invitational from Feb. 14-15. Josh Lawal led the Spartans to their first victory over Brooks by a score of 73-52 with a 20-point effort, but the team was brought down by the McCoy Colts in their next matchup, 79-42. This placed SHS in the bronze medal game against Kate Andrews High School.

“I’m the happiest I can be,” Smith said after the Kate Andrews game. “It’s the first time this year we played all four quarters of basketball. We limited our turnovers. We can do better, but the boys showed a lot of strength.”

The Spartans were consistently down five points throughout the game – 35-30 at the half, and 54-49 at the end of the third. However, with 20 seconds remaining, SHS brought it within one, 71-70.

“Josh Lawal executed perfectly,” Smith said. “All the players on the floor did their roles, and it was awesome.”

The Spartans missed the winning shot, and fouled Kate Andrews, who capitalized on those opportunities – the final was 74-71.

“We left a lot of points on the floor from the line. If they hit those, we would’ve had the game,” Smith said.

Strathmore High School has their next league game against Strathcona Tweedsmuir on Feb. 26.