Sparta fans showed up in good numbers for the Lady Trojans’ Class 3 District 11 first-round win Tuesday. They’re being invited back tonight, along with anyone else wanting to be part of the ‘Black Curtain.’
Sparta coach Josh Loveland would love for the home-court advantage to be as much an advantage as possible for the Lady Trojans in their 7:30 p.m. semifinal date against Strafford.
“Everybody show up and everybody bring it. We'll take all the help we can get,” Loveland said to Sparta’s fan base. "The atmosphere is going to be crazy. It's going to be a lot of fun.”
"Everyone has been looking forward to this game,” Sparta guard Mya Fulton said. “I’m really excited for the game and the atmosphere.”
“Let's be honest, Strafford's a good team,” Sparta center Natalie Wilks said. “We need the energy (from fans) 100 percent. The crowd hypes us up more than anything else.”
Sparta-Strafford can’t exactly be categorized as a rivalry, given the Lady Indians’ dominance in the teams’ recent contests. But for the Lady Trojans, there’s become no bigger rival than Strafford. Blue Eye is a distant second.
Sparta has fallen to Strafford at Districts each of the past two years. Last season, the Lady Trojans lost an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead in the teams’ semifinal matchup.
Also, former Sparta player Laney Humble joined the Lady Indians last season.
“Falling to them two years in a row and with the emotions that are involved with Strafford, it's a big game,” Loveland said. “Both teams are having really good years and have really good players that know each other well.”
“We were hoping to get a rematch and now we get it,” Fulton said. “It’s very important to us. We're all super excited, pumped and a little nervous. We're hoping we can get it done and show some good Sparta basketball.”
