With a playoff game on the line, the Spoto Spartans rose to the challenge on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Tigers 68-39 at home. Spoto has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 15 matchups by 20 points or more this season.
Leading Spoto to victory were Dominique Boone and Jayla Griffin. Boone dropped a double-double on 18 points and 14 rebounds, while Griffin scored 23 points along with six assists and six steals. That makes it three consecutive games in which Griffin has scored at least a third of Spoto's points. Another player making a difference was Suri Thomas, who scored 11 points along with two steals.
Several Tigers players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Ayanna Blake, who scored 11 points along with seven rebounds and four steals. Blake is crushing the steal category: she's posted at least three every time she's taken the court this season. Thea Williams was another key contributor, scoring 14 points.
Middleton struggled to work together and finished the game with only four assists. They were crushed by their opponents in that department as Spoto posted 12 assists.
Spoto pushed their record up to 17-9 with that win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 65.0 points per game. As for Middleton, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-10.
Spoto will square off against Gateway at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Gateway will roll in looking for their eighth straight win, something Spoto surely won't give up without a fight. Middleton does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
