By the time the final horn blared, Starpoint was disappointed. But when they boarded the team bus, the Spartans weren’t any less confident.
A 40-point loss against Cardinal O’Hara Wednesday was the Spartans’ first of the season, not the season-ending.
Appearing in a sectional championship wasn’t just enough. Bringing a title back to Pendleton for the first time since 1995 — and going beyond — was in the forefront, as the Spartans won 16 in a row and clinched the ECIC Division II title before the O’Hara loss and bounced back with a 33-point win against Depew two days later.
At 17-1, Reed is preparing Starpoint for a potential run to states.
“It’s just getting our girls ready in that mindset of this is what the crowd’s going to look like upstate if we are fortunate enough to get there,” Reed said. “And I know that they have their mindset on that and they’re a very strong-willed team. So, I think that we’re just going to keep working hard.”
The hard work has paid off for Starpoint offensively, resulting in close wins over
Monsignor Martin’s St. Mary’s of Lancaster (58-55) and Class B’s Wilson (55-31). Through 18 games, Starpoint has scored 63.2 points per game, nearly 12 higher than last season, and are 8-0 when posting 70 or more points.
A contest at Sweet Home 5 p.m. Thursday concludes Starpoint’s regular season, with its 17 victories by a variety of margins. Some have been closely contested, including a 10-point win against Hamburg while others, like against Grand Island and Williamsville East, were won by over 50 points.
For the Spartans, the goal to keep their season moving is to keep the ball going, both in and out of the paint.
“I think we play very unselfish,” guard Ava Anastasi said. “One of us can score 20 or one of us can score five and the outcome is still the same. … There were a lot of girls scoring (Wednesday) and a lot of us who didn’t score and a lot of us who changed our mindsets to passing and getting more rebounds . We flow and we get our offense going quick.”
Against Cardinal O’Hara, Starpoint’s offense came to a stand-still. The Hawks generated 19 steals against the Spartans, with a double-team full-court pressure, and leading to transition scoring.
Starpoint has had success defensively itself, averaging 17.4 steals per game. But O’Hara’s ball pressure was not what the Spartans had faced through the first two months of the season and tried to simulate in team practice.
For now, facing O’Hara during the regular season was a learning experience for all involved in the Starpoint program in facing defensive styles and competition outside of the section. As the road continues, the Spartans look to keep playing their game on both ends of the floor.
“I think if we can take part of that game, just take part of (O’Hara’s) energy, take part of their attitudes and interpret it to our own way and our own style, I think that’s all we need,” forward Megan Milleville said. “… I hope we can just have confidence in ourselves because I know our coaches do and I have confidence in every single one of my teammates.”