Twenty wins in one season. Thirty-five points scored by senior Sharese Jones’ in her last high school basketball game. Thirty-six minutes of game time. Two games away from winning state. Three players with four fouls each. Two players fouled out in the season’s last game. Forty-five total points scored by the Spartans. Fifty-one total points scored by the Jaguars. One final loss. Five girls playing their hearts out on the court.
“It’s always tough to lose a game like that,” Assistant Coach Ron Jones said. “They fought hard all year.”
Coach Jones was not the only one to feel the sting of a loss. The players shed blood, sweat and tears to get to this point in their high school careers.
“It was a heart-breaker,” Sharese Jones said. “We worked really hard and fell short.”
Although the game was a heart breaker, looking back on the season changes the perspective of the game. The Lady Spartans made it farther in their season then any other basketball team that has traveled through Francis Howell Central.
“They had a great season,” Head Coach Brian Ricker said. “We were only one game away [from state], and you can’t get much closer than that, but we had two good teams playing each other, and someone had to win.”
While the Jaguars won the game, some blame was placed on the referees for questionable calls.
“The fouls were unfair, but you can’t change them,” Sharese Jones said. “They hurt us, but you have to keep fighting.”
After fouling out of the game, junior Grace Wade sat on the bench for the remaining play time, where all she had left to do was cheer.
“I was so disappointed,” Wade said. “I wanted to be in there; I mean I love those girls, and we overcame so much.”
Along with Wade, senior Brea Gegg fouled out of the game.
“I felt like I couldn’t help the team at all,” Gegg said. “They really stayed tough and fought for me.”
It was not only Wade and Gegg who felt the calls were discreditable. Senior Torrey Wilson felt the amount of fouls they had verses the amount of fouls Fort Zumwalt West had was unjustifiable.
“There were a couple of calls that were unfair, but it made us want to fight more as a team.” Wilson said.
After a game that made the crowd’s heads drop, made the girls’ eyes water and made the coaches’ hands cover their faces, the only thing left to do was remember the season as a whole.
“My hat goes off to these kids who’ve worked hard all year long,” Coach Jones said. “We had one hell of a offensive game.”
