Spartans Headed Down the Home Stretch

The Scarborough Spartans (5-2, 20-6) are off this weekend. Starting next Wednesday, the second place team (in District 22-4A) has five games left on their regular season schedule.  Four of those five contests will be held at The Pavilion.

The remaining schedule:

Wednesday, February 4 vs. Wheatley, 4:30 at Barnett Fieldhouse

Saturday, February 7 vs. Kashmere, 4:00 at The Pavilion

Wednesday, February 11 vs. Sterling, 5:30 at The Pavilion

Saturday, February 14 vs. Worthing, 5:30 at The Pavilion

Wednesday, February 18 vs. Washington, 6:00 at The Pavilion

This site's coverage of Spartans basketball is brought to you by ???  If you have an interest in sponsoring the coverage, I will donate all proceeds to the Spartans program.  Please contact me at farmstros@yahoo.com for more information.

20 Wins, TV and Newspaper Coverage! Quite a Wednesday for the Spartans

 The Spartans picked up their 20th win of the season Wednesday, and that was just a part of their eventful day. Scarborough dropped Furr, 63-52 to move to 5-2 in district (20-6,over-all) and remain in second place in District 22-4A.

Prior to the game, Daniel Gotera of KHOU tweeted out a link to the story about the Spartans that he has been working on for a few weeks (You can view this story above).  After the game, Angel Verdejo, Jr., who covers high school sports for the Houston Chronicle, posted this story online about the club.

Second Half of Play in District 22-4A Begins Tonight

Six of the seven teams in District 22-4A have a shot at a play-off berth as the second half of the district schedule begins tonight.  Sterling (6-0) has the inside track on the first play-off berth. Scarborough (4-2), Kashmere (3-3), Wheatley (3-3), Worthing (3-3) and Washington (2-4) will battle for the other three spots between now and the season finale on Febuary 18.  Scarborough has not made the play-offs since 2005.

Spartans Week #11

The Spartans bounced back from their first losing week of the season, winning two straight games.  They defeated Worthing on Tuesday and Washington on Saturday.  Heading into the second half of district play, Scarborough is in second place with a 4-2 record (19-6, over-all). 

This week's schedule:

Wednesday, January 28 vs. Furr, 7:30, The Pavilion #District Game

Full Schedule and Results

For more information, visit the team's website

This site's coverage of Spartans basketball is brought to you by ???  If you have an interest in sponsoring the coverage, I will donate all proceeds to the Spartans program.  Please contact me at farmstros@yahoo.com for more information.

Spartans knock off Washington... In Second Place Alone

Scarborough dropped Washington, 54-50 Saturday afternoon.  The win moves the Spartans to 4-2 in district, 19-6 over-all.  Scarborough has sole possession of second place in District 22-4A through one half of their 12 district games.

Next up for the Spartans?  They face district opponent, Furr on Wednesday, January 28 at 7:30 at The Pavilion.

# Every Time Real Grace- Real Grace Reflection #7

With a hat tip to Dr. Seuss, here is another reflection on Lutheran Outdoors Ministry of Texas' 2015 theme, REAL GRACE.

# Every Time Real Grace

What would cyber-Jesus do?
Share it with a friend or two
Get it trending every place
# every time, Real Grace

Old grace, new grace
Red grace, blue grace
G- Grace
R- Grace
A- Grace
C- Grace

Find the link and click on EGrace

Hard to see grace
Ain't no fee
You and me grace
On a tree

In a song grace, fills the ear
Out of tune heart, holds it dear

Grace that truly seems unreal
And is often hard to feel
Unseen grace that never fails
Grace that's stronger than the nails

Grace that goes beyond the end
And ignores the current trend
Unreal grace, when drawing near
Can be difficult to hear

Hard to see grace
Ain't no fee
You and me grace
On a tree

G- Grace
R- Grace
A- Grace
C- Grace

Find the link and click on Real Grace

c2015 Mike Tauser

Spartans Break Skid with Win Over Worthing

According to a tweet from their coach, Martin Wall, Scarborough knocked off Worthing , 52-37 Tuesday afternoon.  With the win, the Spartans broke a two-game losing streak and improved to 3-2 in district, 18-6, over-all.

Next Up for the Spartans? They face Washington at 2:30 on Saturday at The Pavilion.

Spartans Week #10

The Spartans suffered their first losing week of the season going 0-2.  They lost to Kashmere on Tuesday and Sterling on Friday.  They ended the week at 2-2 in district and 17-6 over-all.

Please note that KHOU's Daniel Gotera is working on a story about the Spartans.  Follow him on Twitter for the latest on when his story will air.

This week's schedule:

Tuesday, January 20 vs. Worthing, 4:00, Butler Fieldhouse #District Game

Saturday, January 24 vs. Washington, 2:30, The Pavilion #District Game

Full Season Schedule and Results

For more information, visit the team's website

This site's coverage of Spartans basketball is brought to you by ???  If you have an interest in sponsoring the coverage, I will donate all proceeds to the Spartans program.  Please contact me at farmstros@yahoo.com for more information.

Where is The Pavilion?

Scarborough plays 6 of their last 7 games in the regular season at The Pavilion.  The Pavilion is located in what used to be the North Forest school district.  Follow this link to see the location of The Pavilion.  Admission to the game I attended at The Pavilion last season was $4 for adults and children.

Spartans Fall to Sterling

Scarborough couldn't hold onto the lead in the fourth quarter against Sterling Friday night.  The Spartans fell 65-56 to their district rivals.  The loss dropped Scarborough to 2-2 in district play (17-6, over-all).  They are tied for third in the district standings. 

Next up for the Spartans? They face Worthing, Tuesday at 4 pm at Butler Fieldhouse.

For more information visit the team's website.

Spartans Take One on the Chin Against Kashmere

Scarborough's road to the play-offs hit an unexpected bump Tuesday afternoon when Kashmere handed them an 84-55 loss at The Pavilion.  The 29-point deficit was the largest of the season for the Spartans (2-1,17-5).

Next up Scarborough faces Sterling at 8:30 Friday at Barnett Fieldhouse.

Get more information on the team's website.

This site's coverage of Spartans basketball is brought to you by ???  If you have an interest in sponsoring the coverage, I will donate all proceeds to the Spartans program.  Please contact me at farmstros@yahoo.com for more information. 

Ring A Ding Dial Tone- Real Grace Reflection #6

The fact that I am reflecting on Lutheran Outdoors Ministry of Texas' 2015 theme, REAL GRACE, is made possible, at least in part, by a misplaced phone call.

Prior to my freshman year of college, I had never heard of LOMT or one of its camps, Camp Lone Star. However, I had attended another youth camp located fairly close to Camp Lone Star in LaGrange, Texas. With the summer of 1988 approaching, an attempt to contact the camp I attended as a teenager (about possible summer employment) inadvertently led to a phone discussion with Craig Oldenburg at Camp Lone Star.  Oldenburg was putting together his summer staff, and after our conversation, he decided I would be a good fit.

In reflecting on REAL GRACE and LOMT, I can't help but be amazed by the way my life has been positively influenced (with blessings, challenges and more) ultimately as the result of a wrong phone number.

RING A DING, DIAL TONE

Ring a ding, dial tone
Call gone astray
Voice unexpected
Has something to say
A misunderstanding?
Handwriting misread?
A new speakers enters
The ears on my head
Perhaps, I misdialed
Hit a one or a two
When three was what I should have done
Or maybe my call, as it hurtled through space,
Was thrown off its course by the sun.

Though fingers were off
By a digit or two
It turns out they did what they needed to do
My bearing was east, that phone sent me west
It seemed misdirection, but spawned a great quest.

c2015 Mike Tauser

Scarborough is #24 in State

According to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches website, the Scarborough Spartans basketball team is ranked #24 in 4A in the state this weekend. The Spartans knocked off Wheatley (#4 in this week's poll) on Saturday.  They are scheduled to face #3 Sterling on Friday night at Barnett Field House.

Spartans Week #9

The Spartans moved to 2-0 in district play with a hard-fought 68-61 win over Wheatley on Saturday.  They head into the first full week of district competition with a 17-4 over-all record.

This week's schedule:

Tuesday, January 13, vs. Kashmere, 4:30 The Pavilion #District Game

Friday, January 16, vs. Sterling, 8:30 Barnett #District Game

Full Season Schedule and Results

For more information, visit the team's website

This site's coverage of Spartans basketball is brought to you by ???  If you have an interest in sponsoring the coverage, I will donate all proceeds to the Spartans program.  Please contact me at farmstros@yahoo.com for more information.

Team Effort by Spartans results in Win Over Wildcats

While Wheatley was shutting down Scarborough's top scorer Hunter Janacek, Janacek's teammates took care of beating Wheatley at The Pavilion Saturday afternoon, 68-61.  While I didn't see a box score, I'd be surprised if Janacek was in double figures. However, Jonathan Garcia-Loza and Johnathan Crew figured out a way to get the ball in the paint and into the basket numerous times to pick up the slack. 

I heard from a source that Crew had 24 points, but I couldn't confirm that number.  Either way, he and Garcia-Loza had numerous putbacks to lead the Spartans. I JUST RECEIVED CONFIRMATION FROM Martin Wall THAT CREW HAD 21 points. (Posted Saturday night)

The win puts the Spartans at 2-0 in district play.  They are now 17-4 over-all.

NOTE: (Sunday afternoon) Here are a few more thoughts on the win.  I mentioned previously that Wheatley shut down Janacek as a scorer, but I didn't go into how they did that.  Now, I will.

Wheatley played a full court press for most if not all of the game.  Because of this tactic, getting the ball to the front court was Janacek's responsibility a large majority of the time. He was instrumental in the Spartans beating the Wheatley press.  In fact, many times Scarborough would beat the press in such a manner that they scored before Janacek was fully in the front court and able to participate in the offense.

Janacek didn't score much, but his ball control was key to everybody else on the team being able to score.  In the games that I had attended previously this season, getting the basketball up the court wasn't as big of a challenge for the Spartans, so Janacek's ability to fulfill this role wasn't as prominently displayed. It was impressive to see those skills on display contributing to a big win on Saturday.

Keep an Eye on Jorge Martinez when he is near the Three Point Line

If you go to the Scarborough Spartans game Saturday at The Pavilion against Wheatley, don't be surprised if senior guard Jorge Martinez (#2) hits a few crucial three pointers at some point during the contest.  Martinez, is shooting 50% from behind the arc in 20 games so far this season, netting an average of 2.2 per game.  What's more, in the games that I have seen, he consistently seems to find the mark when the Spartans need it most.

Martinez's three-point percentage is markedly improved from last season when he only made 35% (12 for 34).  Over-all, he is adding almost 10 points a game to the Spartans' offense, largely on the strength of his improved long-range shooting.

This Spartan is Averaging a Double-Double

The team statistics for the Scarborough Spartans have been completely updated at Max Preps. Among the eye-catching numbers for the 16-4 team: Senior post man Jonathan Garcia-Loza is averaging a double-double with 12.6 points and 10.1 rebounds.

Garcia-Loza (#15) was a contributor last season as a junior with an average of about seven points and eight rebounds per contest.  However, as the numbers attest, he is doing more this season and helping lead the Spartans to success.

How Much Better are the Spartans this Year?

Having seen the Scarborough Spartans play four times this season, I have no doubt that they are a better team than last year's edition.  Their defense is so stifling that I get tired watching them play. That defense is the key factor behind their 16-4 record heading into District 22-4A play.

Their offense has more weapons available compared to a year ago.  Junior Hunter Janacek can take over a game with three-point shots when he is hot.  In addition, Senior Jorge Martinez seems more consistent as a point guard and an outside shooter than he did last season.

Further, Senior Jonathan Garcia-Loza has added substantial strength and offensive ability to his game compared to the 2013-14 season.  Finally, Freshman Quinton Hudson gives the team the ability to drive to the basket, which opens up other opportunities.

The team also has some solid supporting pieces. They fill in nicely, especially on the defensive end, when the need arises.

The Spartans get a big test this Saturday afternoon when they face Wheatley at 4 pm at The Pavilion. The Spartans have proven they are better this season.  Saturday's game will give some insight into how MUCH better they are.

Smiles at McDonald's in Japan are Free- Real Grace Reflection #5

You will find below the result of my fifth reflection on Lutheran Outdoors Ministry of Texas' 2015 theme, REAL GRACE.  REAL GRACE is based on Ephesians 2:8-10, a passage which, among other things, assures us that we are created to do good works in Christ.

I take this to mean that part of the result of God's grace is that we are somehow given the means to carry out what he calls us to do.  The poem below is inspired by a unique event that happened to me when I lived/worked in Japan that I believe was a small part of my preparation to serve in that country.

I taught ESL for a congregation in Japan for two years.  They used their ESL school as a means of outreach to the community.  It was important for me to be able to speak Japanese to carry out my role effectively.  To this end, I received about six months of intensive language study before I was assigned to my post.  My teachers and classmates in Tokyo were great, but some of the best language training I got came when I left the classroom and tried speaking on the streets.  My favorite example of this experience is the launch point for the poem below, SMILES AT MCDONALD's IN JAPAN ARE FREE.

A few months into my language training, I visited a local McDonald's.  I couldn't read anything else on the menu, but even with my rudimentary reading skills, I could tell that (in Japanese) "Smiles" were listed as a free item.  It took me a few minutes to muster up the courage to add "One Smile" to my order, but getting that smile from the employee who took my order was one of my first Japanese language successes.  It gave me a confidence boost that lasted a few weeks at least.

I never would have thought that free smiles at McDonald's would have been a grace-filled blessing. Yet, on that day in Tokyo, they were.

SMILES AT MCDONALD's IN JAPAN ARE FREE

A gathering of good friends
Smiling memories and Joyful mouths
Being filled with delicious food
THAT is a Happy Meal!

Smiles at McDonald's in Japan are free
I think that I'd like one
I've never heard of this before
I'll try it.  It sounds fun

Smiles at McDonald's in Japan are free
Come rain, or sleet or snow
Sunny days, sweeping the clouds away
I will take mine to go

Secret sauce gives a stomach ease
Georgian cows will not be pleased
McRib is back again you say?
Grab a red pen, highlight the day
Too many cars in the drive thru line?
Add another lane
We'll squeeze through fine

One hungry beastie, I be
How many arches do you see?
Two to the left, three more to the right
Most of them stay gold all night

Smiles at McDonald's in Japan are free
Please, I'd like PI of those
I cannot help but smile back
Then 'round and round it grows

Smiles at McDonald's in Japan are free
Today, I'm craving three
In the name of the fries, and the Coke and the Big Mac
Scrumptious trinity

Sunday afternoon at McDonald's
I hope we beat the Baptists there
To super size or not on His day?
Tell me, do I dare?

Sunday afternoon at McDonald's
A post-liturgical treat
Breaking the bread of a sesame seed bun
There's nothing else so sweet

WOULD you like fries with that?
Would YOU like fries with that?
Would you LIKE fries with that?
Would you like FRIES with that?
Would you like fries WITH that?
Would you like fries with THAT?

Would you like a SMILE with that?
If it's free, of course,
All...day... long

Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest
Be our guest, please be our rest.

Amen

c2015 Mike Tauser

Spartans Week #8

The Scarborough Spartans went 2-0 in their final week before district play tips off in earnest.  They knocked off Aldine on Tuesday and Milby on Saturday.  They head into week #8 with a 16-4 record.

This week's schedule:

Wednesday, January 7 vs. Eltham Wildcats(Australia), 6:00, Scarborough Gym, Exhibition
NOTE: According to Scarborough coach Martin Wall, the Spartans JV team will be playing in the is exhibition game.  The varsity team is devoting the week to practicing and preparing for the opening of district play.

Saturday, January 10 vs. Wheatley, 4:00, The Pavilion #District Game

Full Season Schedule and Results

For more information, visit the team's website

This site's coverage of Spartans basketball is brought to you by ???  If you have an interest in sponsoring the coverage, I will donate all proceeds to the Spartans program.  Please contact me at farmstros@yahoo.com for more information.

Spartans Down Milby

A dustup with about four minutes left in the game didn't stop Scarborough from picking up another victory.  This time the Spartans dropped Milby, 70-42.  The Spartans led by at least 20 with 4:08 remaining, when a Milby player was ejected for a flagrant foul.  As best I could tell, the player slapped Hunter Janacek on the back of the head while the teams were running up the court.

Milby's bench was cleared from the gym for the remainder of the game and Scarborough played their five non-starters for four minutes until the game's conclusion.

Next up for the Spartans (16-4) is an exhibition game against a travel team from Australia.  That friendly is scheduled to take place at 6 pm on Wednesday, January 7 in the Scarborough gym.

Get more information on the team's website.

This site's coverage of Spartans basketball is brought to you by ???  If you have an interest in sponsoring the coverage, I will donate all proceeds to the Spartans program.  Please contact me at farmstros@yahoo.com for more information.