Photo by SportsEngine
Everything was going right for the Spartans in the first half. Simley propelled itself to a 20-7 lead over Stillwater in the opening minutes of Thursday night’s contest. Stillwater head coach Willie Taylor was concerned his team’s form was carrying over from its previous game against White Bear Lake on Tuesday, which it fell 55-69. Stillwater guard Alexis Pratt had other plans.
Pratt, who stands at 5’5”, imposed her will on the game as she continued to attack the paint and find her spots amongst the trees guarding the paint for Simley. The Spartans (3-2, 0-0) were having a lot of success due to its size advantage over Stillwater (7-3, 4-1). However, Pratt doesn’t change her style for any opponent.
“I know to just play my game whether I win or lose,” the senior said. “Because if you lose you still have to play your game no matter if you have a good or bad game and know I did the best I could until the bell rings.”
After trailing until 6:30 was left on the clock, Stillwater pulled ahead and closed out Simley 58-51 on Thursday at Simley High School.
The Spartans (3-2, 0-0) started the game scoring efficiently, jumping to a 20-7 lead. But the Ponies early offensive struggles didn’t keep them out of the contest. Stillwater (7-3, 4-1) worked itself back into the game behind 10 first half points from Amber Scalia, who finished with 16 points. Simley found success finding its forwards inside. Simley, ranked No. 6-3A by Minnesota Basketball News, held on to keep a 29-26 advantage going into halftime.
The Spartans top scorer was forward Acheampomaah Danso with 12 points. Alexis Pratt led Stillwater’s offense with 19 points on the night. Her 13 points in the second half pushed the Ponies to victory.
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