Cold Hands Doom Packers

Photos by Mike Gesler
Story by Ken DeLaat

Sparta 53 Fremont 40

The Packers started out hot. Jordon McDonald shoveled a pass to Gavin Richards who converted the layup. After Sparta answered with a Reece Alt bucket McDonald scored again, stole the ball and put two more on the board. Then he rebounded the ball on the Sparta end and found Logan Nelson who hit for 2. Alt split at the line then Blake Hanshue buried one from beyond the arc and it was 11-3 Packers.
Then Sparta called time out to regroup.
And regroup they did. After a Nelson triple made it 14-3, the Spartans led by the offensive clinic put on by Jax Wilson fired back. He canned the next 9 points and a Fremont time out didn’t slow him down. McDonald stopped the bleeding with a basket and was immediately answered by Wilson and the first quarter ended with Fremont still holding a slim 16-14 lead but Sparta in firm grasp of the momentum. Carter Volkers’ three put Sparta in front then the quarter progressed with the lead changing hands 7 times as McDonald, Joey DeLong, Richards and Hanshue contributed. As the half came to an end the Packers couldn’t buy a shot at one point missing three straight 3 point tries. They also began multiplying turnovers and behind Wilson’s 19 point performance the Spartans edged ahead by 5.

Halftime couldn’t come at a better time for the Red and White.
In the third the Packers began running in players with frequency and their tightened defense held the Spartans to just 8 third quarter points.
Unfortunately their shooting woes continued and they only scored 6.
Down 37-30 with a quarter to go the shooting continued to go sour while turnovers were becoming more frequent. Sparta built a 14 point lead with an 8 point run that Nelson halted with a three, but by then the game was well in hand 
Coach Bowen: “This was kind of the story of our season. We struggled to make shots. Their pressure bothered us a bit especially in the second when they went on a pretty big run.
“We knew coming in we were going to have to shoot well and at the end of the day we just didn’t make enough shots to win.”

McDonald finished with 14 points and Nelson hit for 11.
Sparta moves on to Regional play at Forest Hills Eastern where they will face Whitehall on Monday.
Fremont finished their season with a record of 14-8.
Several seniors played their final game for the Packers:
​Joey DeLong, Logan Nelson, Elijah Shears, Blake Hanshue, Tegan Reinhart-Slater and Chase Rasmussen