Sports
Lady Spartans Cruise to Season Opening Win
By: Nate Moore
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If you want to know how to start the season on a good note, look no further than the Alexander Lady Spartans and their new head coach Jeff Grinstead.
In their season opener and coach Grinstead’s debut, the Alexander Spartans took complete control of their game as they defeated the Marietta Lady Tigers by a score of 60-43.
In the first quarter, it became clear that Alexander’s game plan was to force high ball pressure, create turnovers, and constantly push the ball to score fast break points. The Lady Spartans caught fire from the very tip of the game as they opened up on a 10-2 run to take an early lead over the Lady Tigers.
Alexander’s strategy definitely affected Marietta as they were able to force 13 first half turnovers. Alexander was also able to keep the number of fouls they committed down as they only committed five team fouls in the first half. Despite Alexander’s game plan being effective, the Lady Tigers were able to keep the game close by forcing the ball down low and scoring in the paint. The game would go into halftime with a tight score of 24-20
While the game was close in the first half, the Lady Spartans had other plans for the second.
Alexander would open the third quarter on fire, both defensively and offensively, as they went on 21-4 run. The Lady Spartans continued with their fast break offense and started knocking down three’s as well. Marietta would try to slow down the pace by getting in their half-court offense, but the Lady Spartans full court press and high-pressure, on-ball defense would force the game’s tempo to stay at the fast pace that they wanted. Alexander would go on to outscore Marietta 24-7, scoring as many points in the third as they did in the first half to increase their lead to 48-27 over Marietta.
In the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, Alexander’s bench would finish out the game for the Lady Spartans as the game ended with a final score of 60-43.
Rachel Richardson led the way for the Spartans and came close to notching a triple-double, finishing with 16 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds. McKena Rice added 17 points of her own, leading all scorers.
Marietta got double-digit scoring contributions from Hannah Croft and Caleigh Don. Croft scored 11 points while also pulling down 10 rebounds and Don tallied 10 points.
As the season continues, make sure to keep up with the Lady Spartans as they look to continue their winning ways against the Federal Hocking Lady Lancers this upcoming Thursday.