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Juan Miguel Adams

JUMPER. Eighth-grader Clara Lovelace swishes a three-pointer over the opposing Highland Park player.

On Wednesday, girls JV basketball won against Highland Park with a dominating 57-10 victory. The match was the debut game for the team and was held at home.

The first half set a tone for the game with sophomore Devi Nelson scoring the first ten points. “I played really well that night,” Nelson said. She was able to get multiple breakaways for a layup and one three-pointer. Highland Park was not able to connect as many shots. The defense was tight with the Spartans using an alternate form of defense called a two-to-one defense, focusing on shutting down a strong offensive team. This benefitted the Spartans with multiple breakthroughs. Eighth-grader Clara Lovelace was also able to put down two three-pointers in the first quarter and bring a marginal lead to the Spartans.

In the last eight minutes of the first half, a malfunction occurred with the buzzer creating a loud ringing that had all players and fans exiting the gym. The buzz lasted for thirty minutes before maintenance was able to take care of it, however, the players had developed cold feet and did not carry the same adrenaline as they did at the beginning of the game.

While the buzzer may have stuttered, the Spartans’ force in the first half continued into the second. “I kind of thought it might slow us down but it was okay when we got back into the game,” Nelson said. The Spartans continued to display tight defense and good shooting from deep range but not enough to prevent Highland Park from sinking in three three-pointers and a free throw. The game was very heavily dominated by the Spartans, but both teams showed resilience. “Even though we played well I still think we can work on our communication and defense on the court,” Nelson said.

The girls’ next game will be at Breck against their team, a rival for SPA, on Dec. 5.