Basketball Preview: Sparta Spartans vs. Westfield Area Pioneers
Sparta and Westfield Area are an even 3-3 against one another since January of 2017, but not for long. The Sparta Spartans will look to defend their home court on Thursday against the Westfield Area Pioneers at 7:15 p.m. Hopefully Sparta focused on turnovers this week as the team gave up 29 on Tuesday.
Sparta is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Mauston on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Sparta came up short against Mauston, falling 63-39.
Despite their defeat, Sparta saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Izzy Mickelson, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and ten rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. What's more, Mickelson also racked up four offensive rebounds, the most she's had since back in December of 2023. Another player making a difference was Tiana Leis, who had six points in addition to six rebounds.
Even though they lost, Sparta smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 15 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Westfield Area). They enjoyed a cozy 65-46 victory over Ripon on Tuesday. The team's explosion on offense also rewarded the Pioneers with their most commanding win of the season.
Westfield Area's win bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Sparta, their loss dropped their record down to 2-2.
Sparta was dealt a bruising 71-32 defeat at the hands of Westfield Area in their previous matchup back in November of 2023. That match was all but decided by halftime, at which point Sparta was down 37-17.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
