Lady Spartans Take It On The Chin In Tournament Opener
Springboro, OH (February 24, 2004)— The Lady Spartans had their first tournament game last Tuesday at Springboro High School and it turned into a rough game Even though Valley View¹s season ended on a 76-54 loss, coach Steve Dickson was pleased with the overall effort.
"The girls worked hard all season and I have to be happy with how the season went," Dickson stated.
The Spartans opened the game with two baskets and took a 4-1 lead, but the Panthers soon cruised up and down the court on a 17-0 run. The first quarter was a bad start Dickson admitted The Panthers capitalized on nine turnovers in the first quarter alone.
"In the first quarter we just didn't play well. The lack of starting really did hurt us because they were up 22-4 and we just couldn't recoup after that," Dickson noted.
The first quarter seemed to be the downfall of the entire game. "They are a really good team and they put tremendous pressure on us during the first quarter," Dickson said.
Stacey Strayer, Valley View's leading scorer, got into foul trouble during the first quarter and the Spartans could feel the pain.
"During the first quarter Stacey recorded three fouls and then didn't play a lot in the first half because of that," Dickson said.
Strayer was out much of the second quarter but before the half Dickson put got her back on the court with hopes of closing the deficit and it did. Going into the break, the Spartans were down by 13 and things started to look up.
"I think when Stacey got in foul trouble early it really hurt us, but then we didn't shoot well in the first half either," Dickson said.
Overall Dickson felt the girls really started to pick things up after the first quarter and he they continued to apply pressure throughout the rest of the game. It just wasn't enough.
"In the second quarter we played more aggressive and by the half we were only down by 13," Dickson added. The coach emphasized that they were only down by 13 at the half and during the break he spoke with the team about what needed to be done.
"I told them we were still in the game and that they needed to chisel the score little by little. I told them we needed to pick up on defense," Dickson said.
The second half went much better for the Spartans offensively and defensively, but Little Miami also picked up the pace.
"In the second half the girls picked up some and were more aggressive defensively. They worked really hard and played hard all season. I'm pleased with the overall season," Dickson commented.
The Spartans were only 10 points down at one point when Strayer hit a three-pointer making the score 39-29, but then the Panthers picked up the slack and didn't let up the rest of the game.
"During the third quarter we had some shots, but they just didn't go in and we just couldn't stop their drives," Dickson added. With the exception of the first quarter, Dickson was pleased with how the girls played.
"We had made some crucial mistakes in the first quarter, but after that I think we played well. Little Miami is a great basketball team," Dickson noted.
Strayer ended the night with 15 points and every other player on the team got the chance to score as well. The 76-54 game ended the Spartans 2003-04 basketball season, but Dickson has high hopes for next year.
"Our future looks bright. We are a losing Stacey, which will be a huge loss. She's a player you just can't replace, but we also have some great girls coming back and I think we can bounce back," Dickson said.
