Stratford fends off fierce Mount de Sales comeback as Eagles snag 65-54 win in region play

Sometimes, predictability isn’t a good thing.

Like when you assume things are going to get a little shaky in the third quarter.

“Any time we had a nice little margin, we’re comfortable,” Stratford head coach Jarvis Smith said. “We’ve been coming out sluggish in the third quarter. We came out and played like we were comfortable.”

That’s exactly what happened Tuesday night, Mount de Sales upping its offense and clamping down on defense to eliminate a double-digit deficit, only for Stratford to return to normal with a strong fourth quarter en route to a 65-54 win in GIAA District 4-4A/3A action at Stratford.

The Eagles improved to 19-5 overall and 8-1 in region play, the Cavs dropping to 13-9 and 4-5. Stratford is in second behind Tattnall, and the two play Friday night. Mount de Sales is tied with John Milledge for third; they play Friday at MDS.

Frankie Raines put up 26 points to lead Stratford, which also got 12 each from Tyler Stephens and Bobby Wooten, half of their points coming on threes.

Zavion DeShazier and Jackson Rowley led Mount de Sales with 11 each, with five Cavs getting between seven and 11 points.

Mount de Sales put forth a better night than in the first meeting, a 60-39 Stratford win Jan. 17.

“It was a lot better performance for us tonight,” Mount de Sales head coach Deion Taylor said. “We took care of the ball a little bit better. And I preach to my guys about being tougher, having toughness, not getting out-toughed on the boards.”

But for three quarters, Stratford had too much quickness and speed.

Stephens came off the bench and dropped consecutive 3-pointers on the Cavs to give Stratford a 21-13 lead after one.

Raines, who recently went over the 2,000-point mark, sparked the 18-point second quarter with 10 points as Stratford threatened to pull away and match that first meeting’s margin.

A seven-point lead ballooned to 15, and could’ve been more had the Eagles not missed six free throws. Mount de Sales did help them out with four turnovers, and Stratford led 39-27 at the break.

The halftime discussion in the Cavs’ locker room was simple.

“We wanted to limit turnovers,” Taylor said. “In the first half, they had a lot of points off of our turnovers. For them, that really gets them going. They thrive off chaos, so I was just trying to calm my guys down, just take care of the ball more. Less turnovers, and more shot opportunities for us.”

Mount de Sales listened.

The Cavs opened the third quarter with an 11-0 surge, scoring on their first three possessions with six points coming from Rowley.

Smith employed a different type of strategy than normal.

“They went on an 11-0 run without me calling the timeout,” Smith said. “My (team), they had to feel it, because I told them that if we’re going to lose this game, it was going to be all them. ‘It’s gonna be on y’all because you weren’t ready.’ That’s why I let them play through it.

“We just happened to make a couple of plays and extended it again.”

Landon Gates broke Stratford’s drought with a bucket at the 2:16 mark in the third, but Rowley finally tied it with a 3-pointer with 32 seconds left. That lasted less than half a minute, Raines’ putback in the final five seconds giving the Eagles — after a four-point quarter — a 43-41 lead entering the fourth.

Consecutive 3-pointers from Wooten got Stratford back on track, and the Eagles slowly resumed looking more like the first-half Eagles.

Stephens’ steal and layup and then Gates’ score low extended the lead to 59-49. Alex Roseboro’s 3-pointer gave Mount de Sales a spark at the 2:44 mark, but the visitors didn’t score again until the last half-minute after a 6-0 Stratford run to seal it.

“They had a lot of guys step up for them,” Taylor said. “They’re a good all-around team, well-coached.”

Stratford had almost six times as many points – 22- in the fourth quarter as in the third.

“We’ve been able to wear people down,” Smith said. “We’re playing more up-tempo, picking up full court. We’re trying to use our numbers, and the guys really bought in to it.

“It’s a fun brand of basketball, when you’re doing it the right way.”