By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Black Curtain is sweeping across Sparta again.
The Sparta Trojans earned a much-needed tournament championship on Saturday night, defeating the host school to win the 2023 Strafford Tournament.
Behind a game-high 26 points from star forward Jacob Lafferty, Sparta bounced back from a slow start and went on to beat Strafford 67-61 in a rematch of last year’s district finals.
“This isn’t as big as the Blue and Gold or districts, but a championship game is a championship game,” said Sparta senior guard Walker Loveland. “Out of all the teams in this tournament, only two made it this far.”
For Sparta, this one means more than usual.
Before Saturday, the Trojans were 1-5 in their last six tournament championship games – an odd skid that dates back to the 2021-22 season. Included in that was a two-point loss to Strafford in the 2022 Strafford Tournament finals.
“It just made us want this one even more,” Lafferty said. “It was the first thing Coach Link mentioned in the pregame talk.”
Said Loveland: “It was on our minds the whole time. We’ve been in all these championship games. We’ve got to win them.”
Basketball fever continues to surge around the Christian County school (enrollment: 191). A few hundred Sparta fans, including a sizable student section, made the 30-minute trip north for Saturday’s contest.
“Sparta has a rich tradition of being really good in basketball,” said Sparta coach Deric Link. “This crowd has been begging for it. Here it is. They’re showing you the way things used to be in the early 2000s, 90s and 80s.
“They’ve been waiting for the Black Curtain to come back, and we’re getting it.”
There are t-shirts, too.
“I remember when we first brought the Black Curtain shirts back. Us young ones didn’t know what it was,” Loveland said. “To see it coming back and to see what it was like back in the day when our parents and stuff played, it’s really cool. I’m very thankful they all come out and support us.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Strafford jumped out to a quick lead against a Sparta squad that’s coming off a district-championship season but working in three new starters.
“It’s pretty much a brand new team,” Loveland said. “Not very many of our guys have been in these close-game situations, especially in championship games.”
But the Trojans erased the deficit by the end of the first quarter, and led 29-23 by halftime.
“We knew Strafford would be amped up and ready to play. I figured we would probably have to call the first timeout and then we would settle down a little bit,” Link said. “We just trusted our gameplan, kept going with it and good things happened.”
Junior guard Cody Voysey led Strafford with 23 points. Voysey, who battled foul trouble in the first half, scored 17 in the fourth quarter as Strafford made a frantic rally in the final minutes.
Sparta shot just 12-for-25 at the free throw, helping the Indians stay close for the duration.
Sparta’s sophomore forward, Trenton Ingle, provided a spark with 12 points off the bench.
“We had our seniors leading our sophomores and juniors, showing them this is what we expect and how to handle yourselves in these big moments,” Link said. “It was huge (to win), because we have a lot of guys who don’t have this experience.”
Lafferty helped Sparta seal the win with a two-handed dunk in the final minute. The 6’5 forward has added about 10 pounds of muscle since last season.
“I eat a lot more, for one,” Lafferty said. “I lift weights a lot more. I’ve just tried to get stronger, because you can really tell a night and day difference between kids who lift and kids who only do skill work. I still do skill work, but the lifting part is a big component now.”
Lafferty plans to make his college decision after the season. Southwest Baptist University (SBU) and Evangel are among the local schools who have shown interest, he said.
Sparta returns to action on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at home against Purdy. Strafford hosts El Dorado Springs the same night.
The 2023 Blue and Gold Tournament bracket release is next week. The Trojans are optimistic about receiving a favorable seed.
“We see (tonight) as a Blue and Gold seeding game,” Lafferty said. “We think we can get a Top 3 seed, maybe? Hopefully. If not, oh well. The Blue and Gold is still in our eyes.”
Sparta 67, Strafford 61
Strafford 14 9 12 26 — 61
Sparta 16 13 20 18 — 67
Sparta (3-0 overall) – Jacob Lafferty 26, Trenton Ingle 12, Rowdy Ball 9, LeeAnthony Mayes 8, Walker Loveland 7, Otis Gilliam Jr. 3, Mason Letterman 2
Strafford (2-1 overall) – Cody Voysey 23, Jourdyn Edelstein 11, Silas Morton 6, Tyler Hunt 6, Conner Rogers 6, Ryder Ross 5, Brady Ripp 4
