Lady Spartans break record with playoff-clinching win
Lady Spartans break record with playoff-clinching win
The Centennial Lady Spartans varsity basketball team broke its record for regular-season wins and clinched the playoffs with a win over Cleburne Tuesday
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BURLESON and JOSHUA – The Centennial Lady Spartans varsity basketball team beat the Cleburne Lady Yellow Jackets 44-34 to earn their playoff-clinching 23rd victory of the season and break the Lady Spartan team-win record Tuesday at Spartan Arena.
Lady Spartans head coach Brooke Robinson said she’s proud of the team and coaches for breaking the record in a season that “hasn’t been easy.”
“I try not to concentrate so much on records, but because this is the team record, it’s something I was really proud of with this group,” Robinson said. “Especially with this group because when you say ‘It takes a total team-effort,’ it really does.”
Robinson added that the team has had to fight for everything this season.
Robinson believes the Lady Spartans were motivated by missing the playoffs by one game last season, which she believes “haunted” the team, Robinson said. She added that the Lady Spartans motto for the 2023-24 season was “Unfinished Business.”
“[The Lady Spartans] are actually getting to reap the benefits of working and knowing what it’s like to come together and turn it around,” Robinson said.
Adding to the adversity they've had to fight through this season, the Lady Spartans were without senior guard Arayale Walker for the last three games, including the record-breaking win. Robinson said the team had to step up without Walker, who she said is one of their leaders and best defenders.
Senior forward Jordyn McNeal scored a team-high 20 points in the record-breaking win. Senior forward Macie Grosskurth and senior guard Grace DuBose added eight and seven points respectively.
The team-win record was previously held by the 2016-17 Lady Spartans, who went 22-12 in the regular season.
The Lady Spartans then lost 58-50 to the Joshua Lady Owls in Joshua Friday.
Lady Spartans head coach Brooke Robinson stated Joshua played good, but the Lady Spartans were off and gave up too much defensively.
Sophomore guards Ellie Stanley and Lyric Caldwell led the Spartans in scoring with 12 and 10 points respectively in the Joshua loss.
The third-place Lady Spartans (10-5 in district, 23-10 overall) plays the sixth-place Midlothian Lady Panthers (5-9, 7-23) Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Spartan Arena for their last game of the 2023-24 regular season.