Three Weeks Until Basketball Season for the Spartans

With just three weeks to go until their first game, here's a link to a video that highlights what the Scarborough Spartans have been doing to prepare for the season. November 17 is opening night.

Spartans Beat Kipp Sunnyside

The Scarborough football team won its first game since 2009 on Friday night.  The Spartans knocked off Kipp Sunnyside 18-14 to end a 59-game losing streak.  The team's last win before Friday was registered over Austin on September 10, 2009.

Spartans Heading to Corpus Christi Area this Season

After its successes last season, the Scarborough Spartans basketball team is apparently a hot item. The Spartans have been invited to play in the Gregory-Portland Tournament from December 10-12. Gregory-Portland is located in the Corpus Christi vicinity.  This distant location means that for the first time in a long time, the Spartans will be staying on the road during a tournament.

A road tournament results in the added expense of hotels and more, so a Go Fund Me account was set up by a fan of the team to help pay for this road trip.  As you can see here, the necessary $1800 was raised quickly by Spartan supporters. (NOTE: The goal has been raised since the first goal was met.)

Fans can still contribute and support the Spartans 2015-16 season.  According to Coach Martin Wall, additional funds are still needed for the rest of season.  The team is also scheduled to play tournaments in Hempstead and Royal.

Spartans Bring Home District Awards in Basketball

Five members of the Scarborough Spartans basketball team, who won the first play-off game in school history, received awards in District 22-4A.  Junior Hunter Janacek led the list, bringing home the district's Offensive Player of the Year Award.  Quinton Hudson was honored as the Rookie of the Year.

Three seniors were honored as well.  Jonathan Garcia-Loza made first team all district.  Jorge Martinez and Jonathan Crew were named to the district's second team.

Sterling Carries 22-4A Flag to State

The Sterling Raiders will represent District 22-4A in San Antonio next weekend.  The district champions knocked off Silsbee Saturday afternoon to win the Region III title and advance to the state tournament in San Antonio.

Sterling (#2 in state) will face La Marque at 3 pm Friday in the Alamodome.  In the other 4A semi-final at 1:30 pm, Dallas Madison (#3) plays Bridgeport (#5).

Sterling Still Representing District 22-4A (and HISD)

Sterling High School, the District 22-4A champions, advanced to the Class 4A Region III finals with a victory over Tatum in Huntsville Friday night.  Sterling will face Silsbee in Saturday's Regional Final. After Friday, Sterling is the only representative of the Houston ISD still alive in the play-offs.

Wharton, who knocked off Scarborough in December in the Sweeny Tournament, has advanced to the Regional Final in Region IV.  Wharton is slated to face La Marque at Texas A&M-Kingsville Saturday afternoon.

Wall Promoted to Scarborough Athletic Director

According to this week's print edition of The Leader, Martin Wall has been promoted and will be Scarborough High School's Athletic Director starting next school year.

Wall, who led the Spartan boys' basketball team to its first play-off victory in school history this year, will take over the role from Ajani Sanders. Sanders, who is currently Scarborough's football coach and AD, will coach football at Westbury High School next year. Wall will continue to coach the basketball team at Scarborough.

A Look Back at the Spartans 2014-15 Season

The gym at Scarborough High School is quiet until next November.  The Spartans basketball team has wrapped up a season to remember.  Coach Martin Wall's club won 23 games, including the first play-off game in school history.  Here are a few highlights from the 2014-15 season.

The Season Opener- The Scarborough gym was rocking as a new season began on November 18. A 53-38 win over Northbrook got the schedule off to a great start.

Third Place in the Hempstead Christmas Classic- The Spartans won their first four games in this tournament December 18-20.  After dropping their fifth game, they bounced back to defeat Huntington and claim third place in the 12-team tournament.

A Win Over Wheatley- The Spartans got many people's attention when they knocked off Wheatley, 68-61.  It was in all likelihood, Scarborough's first-ever victory over the basketball powerhouse.

Play-off Bound- It took until the final game of the season for the Spartans to clinch their first play-off berth in a decade, but they did it.  A 60-58 victory over Washington assured Scarborough of a third-place district finish and a trip to the post-season.

On to the Second Round- At the end of a tight contest against La Grange, the Spartans brought out the late-game heroics to win the first play-off game in school history.  When the buzzer sounded, the gym at Morton Ranch High School in Katy looked a lot like Scarborough High School West.

Two of Spartans District Foes Still Going in the Play-offs

The two teams that finished ahead of Scarborough in District 22-4A are still alive after one week of the play-offs.  Sterling, who won the district, is scheduled to face Hardin-Jefferson in the Region III quarter-finals.  District 22-4A runner-up Wheatley next meets Silsbee, who knocked off Scarborough Friday night.

Interestingly, two teams who defeated Scarborough in the Sweeny Tournament in December will clash in the Region IV Quarter-finals.  Columbia and Wharton take the court against each other on Tuesday in Stafford.

Silsbee Too Much for the Spartans in Season Finale

Silsbee proved to have too much firepower for Scarborough as they pulled away in the second half to beat the Spartans, 94-56 in Friday night's Area play-off game.  The Spartans trailed by 10 at halftime, but the Silsbee lead snowballed throughout the second half.  Silsbee (28-5) moves on to face Wheatley in the Regional Quarter-finals.

The Spartans, who end their season with a 23-10 record, were led in scoring by Jorge Martinez, 14, Quinton Hudson, 10 and Jonathan Garcia-Loza, 9.  All five Spartan seniors, including Martinez and Garcia-Loza, scored in their final high school game. You can see the full boxscore here.

Spartans Play-off Central- Game #2 vs. Silsbee

Everything you need to know about the Spartans play-off game Friday against the Silsbee Tigers, who finished the regular season first in District 24-4A.  Friday's game is scheduled to tip-off at 7 pm at Channelview High School.

PLEASE NOTE:  The game will be held at Bill Neal Gym, which is across the street from the high school.  The gym is in front of the football stadium.

HOW DID THE SPARTANS GET HERE?

Scarborough (23-9) finished the regular season in third place in District 22-4A.  They knocked off La Grange, 68-64 in Tuesday's Bi-District contest.

WHO IS WHO FOR THE SPARTANS? 

Number, Player, Class, Height

2, Jorge Martinez, Sr., 5'9"
3, Quinton Hudson, Fr., 6'1"
5, Hunter Janacek, Jr., 6'4"
10, Daryl Samuel, Sr., 5'10"
11, Tahj Parrish, Fr., 5'10"
15, Jonathan Garcia Loza, Sr., 6'3"
21, Devon Brumley, Sr., 6'1"
23, Jonathan Crew, Jr., 6'2"
34, Damani Wheeler, Fr., 6'0"

Season Statistics for the Spartans

HOW DID SILSBEE GET HERE?

With a 27-5 record, Silsbee is ranked #10 in the state.  After winning District 24-4A, they knocked off Huffman-Hargrave in the Bi-District round of the play-offs.

WHO'S WHO FOR SILSBEE?

#3, Michael Williams, Senior
#4, Bruce Newton, Sophomore
#5, Sedrick Spearman, Junior
#10, Trajan Harris, Sophomore
#11, Dontre Thomas, Junior
#12, Tre Lowe, Freshman
#14, Rick Maze, Junior
#23, Tre Grubbs, Junior
#30, Jaden Bass, Freshman
#32, Kolten Mackey, Sophomore
#33, Kalon Barnes, Freshman
#34, Luke Tanton, Junior
#40, Adonis Thomas, Freshman

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

The winner of Friday's game advances to the Region III Quarter-finals next week.  They will face the winner of the Cleveland/Wheatley game.

WHAT IF I CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE GAME?

Mike Sanchez will be providing the play-by-play of the game online through SETXsports. Follow his Twitter feed for more information.  

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SILSBEE BASKETBALL HISTORY

This season marks Silsbee's 11th consecutive post-season appearance.  Over that period, the Tigers have claimed seven district titles, won 27 play-off games and advanced to the state tournament twice.
Needless to say, as a basketball program, Silsbee's accomplishments dwarf Scarborough's.  However, you never know what will happen on the basketball court.

Get to Know the Spartans

Here's a unique way to get to know the team that won the first basketball play-off game in Scarborough history.  The school is using its instagram page to carry out a trivia contest today. Questions will be asked throughout the day about players on the team.

If you're not a student of the school, you can't win any prizes.  However, it is a chance to get to know the Spartans before Friday's game against Silsbee.  Check out the contest here.

Spartans vs. Silsbee, Friday Night in Channelview

Scarborough's Area Round play-off game vs. Silsbee is scheduled for Friday night, February 27 at 7 pm at Channelview High School. Silsbee (27-5) is ranked #10 in the state.

Information on accessing live audio of the game will be available via SETXsports.com.  Mike Sanchez will be behind the microphone.

Janacek's Big Shot Leads Spartans to First Play-off Victory

Big shot from @hunterjanacek @ScarborHS pic.twitter.com/dyjfvmxim9
— Martin Wall (@bballmwall) February 25, 2015

A three-point shot by Hunter Janacek with less than 40 seconds remaining (pictured above) gave Scarborough (23-9) a lead they would not relinquish as they knocked off La Grange, 68-64 Tuesday night in the bi-district round of the play-offs.  The win is the first basketball play-off win in Scarborough's history* (as best as our research can determine).

Scarborough next faces Silsbee at a time and place still to be determined in the Area Round of the post-season.

@bballmwall @ScarborHS you know 😏 nice hand off by Q and better screen from Slim! #Round2
— Hunter Janacek (@hunterjanacek) February 25, 2015

Janacek, a junior, scored 15 of the Spartans' 20 points in the fourth quarter.  He repeatedly forced the action against La Grange's guards, drawing numerous fouls, and hitting the resulting free throws. Janacek ended the game 14 of 15 (eight of nine in the final quarter) at the charity stripe. Two of La Grange's guards fouled out as a result of their attempts to contain Janacek.

Just prior to Janacek's shot, La Grange lost possession of the ball when a foul called against Scarborough was overturned.  One official called a blocking foul on Spartan freshmen Quentin Hudson when he was involved in a collision with a Leopard player driving to the basket.

Hudson's foul would have resulted in two free throws for La Grange, who was in the double bonus. However, after a brief discussion between two of the three officials, the blocking foul was overruled, and a player control foul was assessed to the La Grange player.  Janacek's shot followed directly after this sequence of events.

Hudson was the leader of the Spartans offense through the first three quarters, when he registered 20 of his 23 points. Janacek finished the contest with 24 points. Senior Jonathan Garcia-Loza also reached double digits with 11 points.

Unofficial Box Score

Spartans Play-off Central- Game #1 vs. La Grange

Everything you need to know about the Spartans play-off game tonight against the La Grange Leopards, who finished second in District 21-4A. The game tips off at 7 pm at Morton Ranch High School. 

HOW DID THE SPARTANS GET HERE? The Spartans made the play-offs by finishing third in District 22-4A with a 7-5 record.  Their over-all record is 22-9.  Season results.

WHO IS WHO FOR THE SPARTANS? 

Number, Player, Class, Height

2, Jorge Martinez, Sr., 5'9"
3, Quinton Hudson, Fr., 6'1"
5, Hunter Janacek, Jr., 6'4"
10, Daryl Samuel, Sr., 5'10"
11, Tahj Parrish, Fr., 5'10"
15, Jonathan Garcia Loza, Sr., 6'3"
21, Devon Brumley, Sr., 6'1"
23, Jonathan Crew, Jr., 6'2"
34, Damani Wheeler, Fr., 6'0"

Season statistics for the Spartans

WHAT IF THE SPARTANS WIN?

With a win, Scarborough advances to the Area Round of the play-offs.  Their opponent would be Silsbee, ranked #10 in the state.

WHAT IF I CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE GAME? 

The contest will be broadcast and streamed online by a station in LaGrange.

I'M JUST JUMPING ON THE SPARTANS BANDWAGON.  WHERE CAN I READ MORE ABOUT THE TEAM?

Season preview on the team

Spartans on KHOU Houston by Daniel Gotera

Spartans in the Houston Chronicle by Angel Verdejo

Spartans knock off Wheatley

Spartans take third in Hempstead Christmas Classic

Spartans to be Sent Off in Style on Tuesday

When the Scarborough Spartans depart for their first play-off game in a decade Tuesday, the school and community will be there to give them a supportive shove.  The Spartans (22-9) are scheduled to leave the campus at 2:30 on Tuesday afternoon, and a send off is planned for the team.

Spartans Week #15

Scarborough knocked off Washington last week to clinch third place in District 22-4A and their first play-off berth in a decade.  The Spartans head to the post-season with a 22-9 record.

This week's games:

Tuesday, February 24 vs. La Grange, 7:00, Morton Ranch High School (Radio Broadcast Link)

TBA, Second Round Game February 27 or 28 vs. Silsbee or Huffman-Hargrave

Full schedule and results

The Spartan Fan Buses are Ready

What to go to the basketball playoff game on Tues? Ride the Fan bus. ticket $2 and ticket to game $4! Total cost $6. pic.twitter.com/P4f4uauwlp
— ScarboroughHS (@ScarborHS) February 20, 2015

Scarborough High School is making it easy for students to support the basketball team at next week's play-off game.  According to the above tweet, the Spartan Fan Bus will be transporting students to the game on Tuesday against La Grange.

The game will be held at 7 pm at Morton Ranch High School in Katy. If you can't make it to the game, a LaGrange radio station is slated to broadcast the contest.

Spartans Play-off Game Scheduled for Tuesday in Katy

The details of Scarborough's 1st Round play-off game have been determined.  The Spartans will play La Grange on Tuesday, February 24 at 7:00 at Morton Ranch High School in Katy. You can hear a broadcast of the game (from LaGrange) here.

Spartans in the Play-offs!!!

Scarborough knocked off Washington 60-58 on Wednesday to clinch their first play-off berth in a decade.  With the win, the Spartans end the regular season with a 22-9 over-all record.

Next Up?  Tuesday, February 24, vs. La Grange in the play-offs- Morton Ranch High School, 7:00