Hardwood Heroes
Spartans just barely lose their hard-fought battle against the Panthers.
By: Cameron Young, Shane Scalfaro
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NEW LEXINGTON, Ohio (WOUB)— On Wednesday night, the Alexander Spartans Girls fell short after a hard-fought game, ending their season with a loss to the New Lexington Panthers.
In the beginning of the game, there was little scoring for both teams. The Spartans and the Panthers were failing to find the bottom of the net. Both squads were also struggling to grab offensive rebounds, leading to a score of 11-9, after one quarter, in the Spartans favor.
While both teams began to get things picked up on the scoreboard, the Panthers began pulling out in front and began to dominate on both sides of the ball. They were grabbing more rebounds and started to clamp down on Marlee Grinstead and Kara Meeks at half court. The Panthers put the pressure on the Spartans’ offense and limiting their scoring, leading to a halftime score of 25-18, with New Lexington in front.
The rest of the game would stay close, with the lead flipping back and forth between both teams. Both teams battled to the finish, despite the number of fouls called on both teams late in the game. The Panthers pulled ahead, and the Spartans were unable to get back in front, leading to their loss, 58-48.
With the Alexander Spartans Girls graduating five seniors, head coach Jeff Grinstead reflects on how much they have meant to the program: “Their impact…it’s going to be hard to follow honestly. It’s hard to see it end.” Among those seniors are star duo Marlee Grinstead and Kara Meeks. Ending their regular season at 13-9, this team looks to rebuild around their new starters and stay towards the top of the TVC-Ohio standings.