Photo by Rebecca Holt

Impressive win against the Denver West Cowboys isn’t good enough to get the Lady Spartans into the playoffs.

The girls’ basketball team took on the George Washington Patriots on Friday the 14th  at the Thunderdome, which happened to be a celebration of George and TJ’s 50 years of existence.  The girls fell short loosing with a score of 50-22.  The Lady Spartans struggled offensively scoring nine points at the end of the first half.  However, TJ dominated the Patriots during the third quarter holding the Patriots to 7 points while scoring 10.  The Lady Spartans were led in scoring by Sophomore Forward Rebecca Randall with 12 points.  “We were hanging with them for a while, and worked just as hard as George.  We couldn’t convert on the offensive end while George was hitting their shots.  Even though we lost, I believe that this was one of our best performances this season.  We never quit and we showed at times during the game that we are just as good as the other DPS teams,” said Randall.

On Tuesday the 16th, the Lady Spartans had the same outcome taking on the Montbello Warriors at Montbello, losing the contest with a score of 54-30.  Senior Forward Aryn Grywusiewicz led the Lady Spartans in scoring with 19.  The girls struggled from the line converting on 10/19 shooting just 52%, and committed 31 turnovers.  The girls came out strong in the first quarter, and were beating the Warriors with a score of 10-8, buthe Lady Spartans unfortunately could not hang on as Montbello hit some three pointers that blew the game open.  “We worked hard, and deserved to win.  It was unfortunate because we got tired.  We just need to bring the intensity against West because it could possibly be the last game of the season,” said Grywusiewicz.

The Lady Spartans in fact did bounce back against the West Cowboys beating them with a score of 55-25.  The TJ girls were ahead the entire game and jumped out on top early, establishing a 31-13 halftime lead.  Aryn Grywusiewicz was the high scorer once again with 16 points, and not too far behind Grywusiewicz were Seniors Shaleace Jackson and Emily Cordes with 13 and 10 points respectively.  “We dominated them the entire game and played well as a team.  It’s too bad that it has to end now though,” said Jackson.

These loses have brought the Lady Spartans record to 4-17 on the year, which was not good enough for them to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year.  For Seniors Aryn Grywusiewicz, Emily Cordes, Shaleace Jackson, Shanora Ali, Lauren Kelsh, Morgan Bertram, and Joshalynn Green, their high school careers are over.   “Although we didn’t make the playoffs, it was a great season.  We had a lot of fun this year, and it was great to finish off our senior careers with a win.  I’m going to miss the program and the girls in it, but now it’s just time to move on,” said Ali.

“This is not the season that any of us planed or expected.  We had great things going for us at the beginning of the season, but then players started getting hurt and one of our top players, Angeline Almagure, moved to Las Vegas.  I’m proud of the effort the girls had, and they never quit.  They worked hard the entire season, and competed to the best of their abilities every game, even when it was a blow out.  I’m going to miss the seniors we lost, but now its time to start preparing for next year,” said head coach Steve Thomas.

Photo by Rebecca Holt

Friday night the Lady Spartans beat the Lincoln Lancers with a score of 39-25.  This captured the girls 3rd win of the season, along with head coach Steve Thomas’s 300th victory in his coaching career.

The Lady Spartans dominated the first half outscoring the Lancers 22-8.  However, the girls came out of halftime too relaxed as they got outplayed and the Lancers outscored the Lady Spartans 17-2.  But the girls pulled through in the fourth quarter outscoring the Lancers 11-4.

The girls had a balanced game of scoring with Juniors Rebecca Randall, Karisma Fears, and Senior Aryn Grywusiewicz, all scoring 8 points respectively.  Not too far behind them was Senior Forward Shanora Ali with 5 points.  The Lady Spartans dominated the boards grabbing 39 rebounds.  “As a team we played hard and well.  We did great on the offensive backboard and this game was a confidence booster for us.  We just have to bring the same effort and intensity against East,” said Fears.

Unfortunately the Lady Spartans could not do the same against the Denver East Angels, loosing with a score of 63-20.  Fears was the high scorer of the night, scoring five points.  “East came out with intensity and energy, and as a team we lacked that.  As a team we weren’t ready for the game,” said Ali.

“I was happy to win my 300th game of my career.  It was nice to have done it with this team because this group is special and I’ve worked with these girls for the past four years.  Now were going to prepare for George and make some adjustments so that we can compete with them,” said head coach Steve Thomas.

TJ looks to rebound against the George Washington Patriots this Friday at the Thunderdome at 7:00pm.

Photo by Rebecca Holt

The lady Spartans played hard, but it just wasn’t enough to get the win over the Commanders on Tuesday night.  The girls struggled to score offensively and committed 33 turnovers, while converting on 10/16 on free throws (62%).  Foul trouble really hurt the Lady Spartans as Morgan Bertram fouled out.

Shanora Ali and Aryn Grywusiewicz were both limited in their playing time as they both had four fouls.  Rebecca Randall had an amazing game for the Spartans achieving a double double with 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.  “We played hard with what we had, and we played better defense than usual.  It’s just unfortunate that we couldn’t come out on top,” said Randall.  The Lady Spartans were limited, with players such as Olivia Breningstall nor playing, and the many injuries the team has suffered, so most of the junior varsity team had to suit up for varsity.

“I’m proud of the defensive effort that we put in.  On average teams will score 50 points on us, and we held a good team to 30, so I am proud of that.  As a team we need to step up our play to prepare us for the upcoming big games against East, George, and Montbello,” said Head Coach Steve Thomas.

The Lady Spartans look to bounce back in their next game against the Lincoln Lancers at TJ this Friday, February 5th at 7:00pm.

Photo by Rebecca Holt.

On Triple Play Friday, the 22nd of January, the girls took on the Denver South Rebels losing with a score of 42-33.  The girls struggled to score during the first half putting up only 14 points, but the Spartans dominated the third quarter outscoring the Rebels 15-6.  During the third quarter, Senior Guard Shalece Jackson went down with a horrific scream due to a knee injury, which added to the injured list due to Sophomore Center Olivia Breningstall getting hurt during the second quarter.  Neither of the girls returned to play, which devastated the lady Spartans.

Free throws continued to be a problem for the girls as they converted only 9 of 28, shooting 32%.  Sophomore Rebecca Randall and Senior Aryn Grywusiewicz played well for the Spartans,  scoring nine and eight points respectively.

On Tuesday the 26th the lady Spartans took on North High School at TJ, beating the Vikings with a score of 47-35. Aryn Grywusiewicz and Rebecca Randall were TJ’s leading scorers once again, putting up 19 and 11 points respectively.  “We knew that after loosing to South that we had to step our game up, especially since Shalece and Olivia aren’t playing.  We did that against North, and worked as the good team we know we are,” said Sophomore Rebecca Randall.

“We played better against North, but we still have room for improvement.  We still made some bad decisions that could cost us in future games.  The girls played hard, and now we’re just preparing for Kennedy,” said Head Coach Steve Thomas.  The lady Spartans’ next game is against the Kennedy Commanders at Kennedy High School on Tuesday the 2nd of February.

Photo by Rebecca Holt

Last night, Thursday January 14, the lady Spartans took on the Westminster Warriors, and lost 62-48.  The girls struggled offensively especially at free throws, shooting just 28% from the line along with committing 28 turnovers.  However, the girls had no problems scoring in the third quarter when they outscored the Warriors 20-14, cutting the Warrior lead to 3 points heading into the fourth quarter.  The lady Spartans were ahead in the fourth quarter before committing six turnovers in a row that all lead to points for the Warriors.

Junior Olivia Breningstall had a monster game scoring 23 points and grabbing eight rebounds.  “We worked hard, but at times we stopped playing hard.  We stopped working hard more than we actually played hard.  If we work hard the entire game, maybe our outcomes will be different,” said Breningstall.

“It’s frustrating losing to teams that you know you’re better than.  As a team we need to learn how to take care of the ball when it’s late in the game and we are winning,” said Assistant Coach Kyler Jackson.

This game concludes the Spartans’ out of conference games.  The girls’ next game will be against Denver South on Friday, January 22, at 7:00 pm at TJ.  The girls are going to be practicing hard over this upcoming week with hopes of committing fewer turnovers and focus on playing hard for all 48 minutes.

Photo by Rebecca Holt

Tuesday night, January 12, the girls played at Aurora Central High School, and could not come out with a victory, loosing by a score of 53-37.  The girls struggled offensively scoring only eight points at the end of two quarters, while the Trojans had 16.

Coming out of halftime, the Spartans offense picked up, as they scored 11 points; however they gave up 20. “We didn’t play to our full capability and weren’t focused at times on defense.  We gave up too many layups due to miscommunication on defense,” said Senior Forward Shanora Ali.

The leading scorer for TJ was Senior Shaleace Jackson, who had a game high 18 points. The second leading scorer was Junior Karisma Fears, contributing six points.  The Lady Spartans continued to struggle with turnovers, committing 30, and suffered early foul trouble in the first quarter.

“I am very disappointed with the effort that we played with.  As a team we were flat and had no energy, but the only thing we can do is look forward to the next game tomorrow,” said Head Coach Steve Thomas.  The girls’ next game is Thursday, January 14, against Westminster High School at Westminster at 7:00pm.

Photo by Rebecca Holt

On Friday January 8, the girls went down to Yuma, Colorado for a tournament, tipping off against Burlington High School.  The girls played hard but struggled to score, and lost by a score of 55-28.  The next day, however, the girls played against Frontier Academy and pulled out a win, 53-45.

The girls competed well and welcomed back Senior Guard Shalece Jackson and Junior Guard Becca Randal who missed the first 10 games due to transfer rules.  “It feels good because now I can help my team out.  I am now a part of everything from winning to losing.  We are not just a team, we are a family. We play together, cry together, win together and lose together.  I love playing with my teammates and I wouldn’t want it any other way,” said Shalece. “We worked hard and played as a team.  We made some mistakes but that did not stop us from getting the victory.”  Shalece played well her first game back scoring 16 points, and Senior Aryn Grywusiewicz chipped in 18 points.  Joshalyn Green also had a great game hitting two clutch shots late in the game to extend the Spartans’ lead.  The girls played terrific defense the entire game and pressed a lot, which in turn got them many steals on defense.  The girls ended the weekend with a record of one-and-one but improved their overall record to 1-10 on the season.

“I was impressed with the way that we played.  The girls played hard and it was like watching a totally different team.  I believe that we should be in every game from now on and can possibly compete for a city title.  I believe in these girls and now we are only going to get better,” said Head Coach Steve Thomas.

The girls are pumped and ready to get another victory as they take on the Aurora Central Trojans Tuesday, January 11, at 7:00 pm at Aurora Central High School.

Photo by Rebecca Holt

Before entering the holiday break, the girls lost to Arvada West High School with a score of 63-12.  The girls struggled offensively, and defensively gave up eight three-pointers, while Center Olivia Breningstall scored 10 of the Spartans 12 points. The girls committed a voluminous number of turnovers.

On Tuesday night, the Spartans took on Gateway at TJ losing 76-42. Olivia Breningstall had a great game scoring 23 points, but the girls still committed an inordinate number of turnovers.

On January 6th, the girls took on the D’Evelyn Jaguars at TJ losing 72-27, when the team continued to struggle with turnovers, committing a total of 31.  Olivia Breningstall had another great game scoring more than half of the Spartans’ points, with 19.  “As a team we still aren’t completely working together.  We practice hard but its not showing on the court, but we will continue to compete as hard as we can,” said Senior Shanora Ali.

The girls look to bounce back when they head up to Yuma, Colorado for a tournament this weekend.  Currently the girls are 0-9, but hopefully they can turn their play around and come out with some wins in Yuma.

“We are missing some key players due to injuries and eligibility with our transfers.   We are doing the best that we can with what we have, and I am proud of the girls for competing the way that they have; but our turnovers are killing us and until we improve on them, we are going to continue to struggle,” said Head Coach Steve Thomas.

photo by Rebecca Holt

The Spartans came out struggling, as they had a lot of bad passes that resulted in turnovers, partially because more than half of the girls on varsity were limited in their playing time because of injuries.

Sophomore point guard Ashley Berry inured her knee during the junior varsity game which was played before the varsity game.  Juniors Karisma Fears and Joshalyn Green did not play much either, due to their knee injuries.  Rampart shot very well from the three-point line, and they did a lot of cherry picking that got them many wide open layups.  “We didn’t work to our full capability as a team and we lacked leadership.   This was just an off night for us,” said sophomore Olivia Breningstall, who had missed four practices the week before because of a cold.

Despite the mistakes the Spartans made, they played aggressive defense.  Seniors Shanora Ali and Aryn Grywusiewicz played well scoring six and nine points respectively, along with Breningstall, who contributed 6 points.  The Spartans played very well in the fourth quarter and matched Rampart’s intensity level.

Then Tuesday night the Spartans didn’t find much more success, losing to Bear Creek 19-60.  “It was just an off night for everybody.  We didn’t work as hard as we usually do and struggled with pressure,” said Senior Joshalyn Green.  The girls committed 40 turnovers for the game.  Shanora Ali continued her good play, grabbing seven rebounds along with a few put-back lay ups.  Olivia Breningstall also played well, scoring eight points.

On Wednesday, the Spartans took on Golden High School, and again lost, this time 17-63.  “We haven’t played well at all, with all the turnovers and bad decisions made on the court.  We match our opponent’s intensity but then come out in the second half and we lose it.  It’s frustrating and the only thing we can do is work through it,” said Senior Morgan Bertram.

Head coach Steve Thomas is not pleased with his team’s play, and said he basically feels the same as the players.  The Spartans’ next game is against Arvada West High School at Arvada West.  The game will be on Friday, December 18, and will start at 7:00pm. The girls will look to turn around their game and hopefully come up with a win.

photo by Rebecca Holt

Shanora Ali never expected to be playing on the girls’ varsity basketball team. During her freshman year, Steve Thomas, (the head coach of the girls varsity basketball team) asked her to just try it out, and look at her now.  “It looked like fun and Coach Thomas was in need of players, so I decided to play,” said Shanora, who continues to play because she loves to compete and it’s a great exercise.

Shanora works very hard on the girls’ varsity basketball team and has earned her nickname as Mother of the Team. “I am like the motherly figure to my teammates.  I make sure everybody stays positive even through rough times, and I give advice to my teammates about basketball and their personal issues,” said Shanora, who is looking forward to the team’s trip to Yuma, Colorado in early January for a tournament.  “It’s a lot of fun, and we get to bond as a team and become close.  We play against great competition that helps us for when we begin our league play.”

As the season gets going, Shanora is improving on her defense by working hard at practice, and is helping the team come together by doing everything on the court as a team.  “I want to help our team win games by improving defense and becoming closer as a team.  If we can do this, I think we will have a successful season,” said Shanora.

Over the summer, Shanora participated in the TJ girl’s basketball camp.  In the camp, the girls conditioned and played at Manuel High School against teams from the Denver Metro area.  “It was a way for the team to get used to playing with each other.  It was a little difficult because we had to adapt to each others’ playing styles,” said Shanora.

Before every game, Shanora prepares herself by watching the C- Team and Junior Varsity play so that she can pick up on the opposing team’s game plan and try to figure out what the other team likes to do.  She will listen to music to get her pumped up, stretch, and become mentally focused for her game.   “I love to listen to music before my games.  It helps tune out distractions and helps me focus on the things that I need to do in order to help my team in positive ways,” said Shanora.

Aside from basketball, Shanora does community service work every Saturday for thirty minutes at the Dancin’ Dreams organization, where she helps teach young girls ages five through eight with Down Syndrome how to dance.  “It’s a lot of fun working with the girls.  They always bring joy to my day, and it helps to make my day start very well,” said Shanora, who is also an escort for the Jack and Jill Beautillian, which is a program that honors young African American senior males in high school.  “I don’t get honored at all, but I still give up my time and money to support my beau,” said Shanora.  As an escort, Shanora has to dance with her partner and will sit with him during the program.  She gives up two hours of her Sundays so that she can take classes and learn the dance steps.

At TJ, Shanora is an excellent student with a 3.9 GPA, and takes accelerated classes (AP Biology with Scott Thomas, AP Literature with Susan Stokley, and Spanish 4 Honors with Rose Romero Young).  “They are challenging classes and can sometimes stress me out, but I just have to push myself through it even when I don’t want to,” said Shanora, who is a part of the Black Student Alliance (BSA), Peace Panel, and National Honors Society (NHS).  “I like the clubs at TJ, because they make me feel more connected with the school. They are fun, and it’s a great way to meet new people,” said Shanora.  As the president of BSA, Shanora organizes meetings, schedules a room to hold the meetings, makes sure announcements are made so that people know about the meetings, and coordinates and schedules guest speakers.

Outside of school, Shanora likes to hang out with her friends on the weekends, go hiking in the mountains, and watch movies.  She faces many challenges in her life, like helping her little sister Hannah Ali.  “I have raised my little sister since I was eight years old.  It hasn’t always been easy, and I had to become responsible at a young age.  I would wake up in the middle of a school night to change her diaper, or to just feed her.  Even now, I help her with her school work, and I make sure that she is happy, even if I have to sacrifice something for that to happen.  Our mom wasn’t always around so I decided to help raise her,” said Shanora.

With all the things Shanora does in her life, she said that her biggest inspiration has been her English teacher, Susan Stokley.  “She takes her personal time and will bend over backwards to help anybody succeed.  She’s open to find out what you’re struggling with, whether it be life or school related issues, and she always pushes and encourages people to be the best that they can be,” said Shanora.

Stokley describes Shanora as an amazing student, who will never back down from a challenge.  “ She advocates for herself for help, and she’s not afraid to work hard until she completes her task the right way.  She is very determined to succeed and understands the importance of education in her life.  She has an incredibly strong work ethic and I have so much respect for her as a person,” said Stokley, who can recall an incident when Shanora came into her room to work on analyzing symbols in a poem.  “She was in my room and cried her way through it until she figured it out.  I knew from that moment that Shanora would be a successful person in college and beyond.”

After high school, Shanora hopes to attend either Colorado State University, the University of Northern Colorado, or CU Boulder.  “I like what they all have to offer (environment, the community, classes), and they’re not too far from home, yet not too close,” said Shanora, who still hasn’t decided on a major.

When Shanora finishes college, she hopes to become a pediatrician because she likes to help people.  But before she does this, she wants to spend a year in Africa working for the AIDS foundation.  “It’s a great start in the medical field, and I would get to see what other people in a different country deal with,” said Shanora.