Spartans bball sweeps Hawks

Tyler Lowey
Times Reporter

 

The Strathmore High School Spartans senior basketball teams picked up a pair of wins Jan. 18 when they took on their cross-town rival, Holy Cross Collegiate.
In what was a completely different game from their first meeting, the Spartans senior girls downed the Hawks 72-33.
“I thought they played really well,” said Spartans head coach Dion Galandy. “They played with desire and it was a much better game than the first time we played them.”
The Spartans cooked the Hawks 60-20 in the Foothills Athletic Council season opener back on Dec. 6 at the Strathmore High School gym.
With a couple more games under her belt, sophomore sniper Jennifer Bautista led the Hawks with 16 points, including three triples.
“She is one of the few players on our team comfortable taking three pointers,” said Hawks head coach Brad Everett. “She also has the smarts to know that when they aren’t falling, to take the ball inside to try and get easier shots.”
Brianna Kennedy poured in 25 points to lead the 5-1 Spartans and connected on four three-pointers. Allie Davidson continued her strong play with 17 points on 12 shots, including going two-for-two from the land peyond.Kaylin Larson was playing aggressive, getting everyn involved offensivley with six assists and was bombing three-point attempts, sinking three of them.
“January is a tough month for us to get going with the holiday break and the exam break,” said Galandy. “We were a little inconsistent, but we will work on it going forward.”
Something the Hawks (1-5) have been working on is a stronger presence down low. With two of Everett’s players sidelined with injuries, the burden fell upon Yulisa Solda, who finished with six points and nine rebounds, as she tried to spark the Hawks.
“Without Alex (Eygenraam) and Taryn (Tanton), we knew it was going to be tough,” said Everett. “But Yulisa is improving with every game. She is one of those players that you only have to show her, or tell her something once and she picks it up right away.”
Up next for the Spartans is a tournament in Olds running Jan. 27 and 28. For the Hawks, they travel to High River and take on the Highwood High Mustangs Feb. 6.

 

Spartans brush back hawks
In the guy’s game, the results were similar: the Spartans walked away with a resounding victory over a much-improved Hawks squad.
The Spartans opened the game by drilling five-of-six three pointers, carrying them to the 110-57 victory.
The Hawks struggled against the Spartans full-court press when they played earlier in the season. While the press still had the upper hand against the Hawks, their freshman shooting guard Alex Nwoye continued his brilliant play.
Soaring to the rim and knocking down step-back three pointers, Nwoye finished with a monster game, leading the Hawks with 30 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and three steals.
“He is very confident with the ball right now,” said Hawks head coach Josh Jalbert. “He drives with speed and he knows how to get to the basket. He showed some incredible skill with those step-back three’s. Normally, I’m a little hesitant for guys to take those kinds of shots, but he was shooting over 50 per cent on those tough three-pointers.”
He even caught the eye of the opposing coach.
“I don’t think people realize the degree of difficulty on those shots,” said Spartans head coach Matt Laslo. “He can score the ball in so many ways. It’s incredible what he can do in Grade 10. He’s only going to get better.”
The Hawks (2-4) had good looks, but couldn’t knock them down. In the second half, the defensive rebounding of the Spartans took over.
“We saw how quick [the Spartans] were moving the ball, and that’s something I have wanted to work on,” said Jalbert. “And when we get the ball into our sets, we need to be a little more patient and let the play develop instead of rushing our shots.”
Landon Osachuk was second on the Hawks with nine points, while Reid Jensen and Cordel Steadman ripped down six boards each.
Both Strathmore-based teams travel to Black Diamond for their next game. The Oilfields High School Drillers (0-4) welcome the Spartans (5-1) Feb. 1 and host the Hawks Feb. 6.