The Stratford Spartans had some momentum going into their game against Spring Woods Friday night as they watched their junior varsity squad pull out a close victory in quadruple overtime. But would this be enough for the Spartans to upset the roaring Tigers and their rowdy fans?
 

The Spartans started off strong as they jumped out with a 7-0 run to start the game. Spring Woods’ Cornelius Williams ended the drought for the Tigers, when he knocked down a jumper and drew the foul to earn three points the old fashion way. However, the Spartans would continue their dominance through the remainder of the first period. William White drained a three to end the quarter and give the Spartans a 16-5 lead.
 

Unfortunately for the Spartans, they did not execute the second quarter like they did the first. In fact the roles were reversed, as it was the Tigers who came out on fire and went on a 15-2 run to gain their first lead of the game. The lead would not last long however as the Spartans regained their composure and recaptured the lead to take a five point lead into halftime. 25-20.
 

At the start of the second half it was all Tigers again as they went on an 8-2 run to recapture the lead; but again the Spartans would fight their way back. The Spartans took a 35-32 lead heading into the final quarter of play.
 

The fourth quarter brought an exciting finish as the Tigers struggled to gain the lead; that is until Josh Whitfield took charge and rallied off seven straight points to give the Tigers a four-point lead. The Spartans were unable to rally back as the Tiger defense was stiff and forced Stratford to turn the ball over in back-to-back series. The Stratford turnovers allowed the Tigers two fast break baskets and earned them a 60-52 victory.
 

Although the Tigers found themselves in several tough situations, they never gave up.
 

“We never quit believing in ourselves,” explained Spring Woods’ coach Michael Stokebrand. “We have not beaten Stratford in a while so this was great win for us and our fans did a great job of cheering us on.”
 

Senior Tiger Josh Whitfield was the games high point scorer with 17 points as teammate Cornelius Williams dropped in 16 of his own. Leading the way for the Spartans was William White with 13 points and Brad Daniel with 12.
 Stratford will have a tough game against district leader Aldine on Tuesday and the Tigers will face the Generals of MacArthur on Tuesday as well.

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