Sparta 2.0

Story and Photos by Mike Gesler

Grant 51  Sparta 60

Sparta and Grant faced each other once already this year. It was the first game coming off of Winter Break. It was a game that was more about knocking the rust off than quality brand basketball. It was also a game that Grant led at half by 10, but then lost by two in the end. It was a game that Grant felt they should have won.

As luck would have it, the Tigers got to have their chance at Sparta once more to open the State playoffs in District play. The Spartans had easily handled Comstock Park on Monday evening to earn their way to face the Tigers. The Tigers hadn’t played since last Thursday when they narrowly escaped with a win over Holton. If history would prove true that would mean that Grant would enter tonight’s game a little rusty. Sparta, on the other hand, had the benefit of playing two days prior, and playing on their home court.

Like two heavyweight boxers in the first round feeling each other out, both teams started the game a little sluggish. Sparta would be the first to strike a blow and put points on the board. Barnhart would get the Tigers going, but it was slow going. While the Tigers were dominating Sparta on the boards, they couldn’t buy a bucket. Couple that with some poor turnovers, and Grant found themselves constantly battling to stay relevant in the game. Nonetheless, Grant went into the locker room at half only down by five.

“Of course we really felt like we had a good chance to win the game.” stated Grant’s Coach, Joe Schuitema. “We didn’t start off very well with our offensive possessions. Turned the ball over too much. Didn’t get buckets that we thought we should get; in the first quarter in particular. What we did do is we played hard, and we played with a lot of heart and energy to get back in as close as two in the fourth quarter.”

If you have stuck around with the Tigers throughout the season, you know that Coach Schuitema has harped about quality brand basketball. He has constantly asked his players if this is the brand of basketball they want to play. And in this roller coaster season for Grant, there have been some really good quality games, and some games that the team would sooner forget. Tonight, the Tigers certainly showed grit and determination that probably any other given day would have won them the game.

​First of all, offensively, minus the first five minutes or so of the game, the Tigers couldn’t ask for much more. Other than a few poor passes, they moved the ball well. They had plenty of solid looks. They had opportunities to put points on the board. They just could not get that ball to fall inside the hoop. Had the ball dropped just a few more times, Grant would easily be moving onto the District finals and not Sparta.
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Second, like I stated earlier, Grant dominated on the boards and frustrated Sparta’s shooters. It was the Tiger’s solid defensive play that kept them in the game.

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Third, due to let’s just call it a “series of unfortunate events,” when the Tigers did finally get the momentum to swing in their favor  and started to stage a fourth quarter comeback, they were stifled. That hurt Grant every bit as much as their slow start at the beginning of the game. 

So for the players and the fans alike, this was a tough loss to swallow. But regardless of the outcome, the Tigers can be proud that they played some quality brand basketball. They played hard. They played with determination. They played with the heart and soul of a Tiger. And that was good to watch.

“Our guys are really bummed about this loss,” shared Schuitema. “We had a great season. We had a fun season. And we didn’t want it to end tonight. So there’s a lot of emotions in the locker room. The seniors talked afterwards, and they just showed a kind of class act talking to the juniors and sophomore about what you need to do to get a better season next year. I really appreciate them. I told them I’m really proud of them, and I was so thankful to be able to coach them.”

Grant says goodbye to seniors Isaac Higgins, Sawyer Carr, exchange student Giovanni Fallador, and Seth Schuitema, who, by my unofficial calculations, finished his high school career with 1369 points. This year’s juniors that will return for their senior year will be a solid group that should give the Tigers a strong base to build on. Couple that with Lucas Swanson’s growth throughout the season as a sophomore and a good core of Junior Varsity players eager to get their shot at Varsity, the Tigers look to be a strong contender in their conference finishing in the top three.

Sawyer Carr was the Tiger scoring leader tonight with thirteen. Seth Schuitema trailed Carr with twelve. Lucas Swanson added eight. Zach Barnhart put up six. Austin Whitney and Chase Geers each had five, and Giovanni Fallador shot two. The Tigers finished fourth in the conference with an 8-6 (11-10) record.