Even though Sparta spotted Forsyth an 11-0 lead Saturday, a prevailing opinion was the Lady Trojans started better than they finished.
Coach Josh Loveland pointed to his players losing their composure down the stretch as one of their downfalls in a dejecting 55-53 overtime loss in the Sparta Tournament championship game.
The Lady Trojans (10-3) let a 13-point fourth quarter lead slip away.
"I felt like we got emotional, with it being our tournament," Loveland said. "We rode some highs and lows. You can't do that, you have to stay level-headed. I preach that all the time.
"There were times we got a little too anxious and a little too excited," he added. "Once you have a couple turnovers and they make a couple baskets and you miss a couple free throws, you can feel the momentum swing. It's so hard sometimes, even though you are a veteran group, to turn that around."
Sparta didn't panic during its dreadful start. The Lady Trojans responded to being down 11-0 by amping up their defensive pressure to fluster Forsyth and take control of the proceedings.
Sparta was up 23-20 at halftime.
But the Lady Trojans' 3-for-10 free-throw shooting in the fourth quarter helped Forsyth (10-3) rally. Sparta missed four straight freebies in the final minute of regulation.
On the night, Sparta finished 6-of-18 from the free-throw line, while Forsyth was 17-of-28.
"It was the difference in the game, they hit theirs and we didn't hit ours," Loveland said.
Sparta struggled offensively in the clutch, despite the game remaining a full-court affair.
"I felt the pace was good for us," Loveland said. We just didn't get it done. Poor execution."
Forward Megan Brown paced Sparta with 15 points and center Natalie Wilks had 13. Wilks fouled out midway through the extra period.
Backup guard Alivia Loveland may have played better than any of the Lady Trojans while scoring eight points.
Sparta's senior players have already been part of three 19-win seasons, but won't know the feeling of winning their own tournament. The Lady Trojans have lost in the championship game four straight years.
Sparta's search for revenge no doubt raises anticipation for the teams' rematch Friday at Forsyth.
"Hopefully, we will be able to fix some things this week and have a different outcome," Josh Loveland said.
Forsyth 55, Sparta 53
FORSYTH (55) — Blevins 1 0-2 2, Calhoun 2 3-4 7, Sanders 8 6-8 22, Koen 2 3-4 7, Barrickman 3 4-8 10, Essary 3 1-2 7.
SPARTA (53) — Fulton 3 0-0 6, A. Roller 2 0-0 5, Loveland 3 0-1 8, Wilks 6 1-4 13, Holt 2 0-2 6, Brown 5 5-11 15.
Forsyth 15 5 10 19 6 - 55
Sparta 10 13 13 13 4 - 53
3-point goals - Loveland 2, Holt 2, A. Roller.
