This story is sponsored by: Valley Communities Credit Union
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
STRATFORD – Sometimes determination and guts can go a long way.
Stratford boys basketball coach Curt Schmidt said his squad isn’t as talented as some past Tigers teams, but the intangibles this group has are impeccable.
After a 2-0 start the Tigers lost four straight games, including a heartbreaker in overtime to rival Edgar. Since that loss on Dec. 20, Stratford has turned its season around with four wins in a row, including the last three by just one point each.
Austin Shelley hit a leaner at the buzzer to lift Stratford to a 41-40 win over Iola-Scandinavia in the championship game of the Stratford Holiday Tournament and the Tigers held off late runs to win a pair of Marawood Conference South Division games by identical 44-43 scores over Wausau Newman Catholic and Wisconsin Rapids Assumption.
With their season on the brink, the Tigers found a way to pull out three straight close games. How? Schmidt said he can’t pinpoint one specific reason on the floor they were able to do so, but he knows that his team has a will to win that can’t be measured.
“The one thing is that this an example of guys that bust their tails every night,” Schmidt said. “They refuse to lie down and die. These kids practice really, really hard every night. They’re limited in some things, but they have a huge heart. They figure out how to get it done.”
Stratford had double-digit leads in each of the three one-point victories only to see its opponents close the gap in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers have only eight players on their varsity roster, seven of which play heavy minutes. This has led to Stratford “running out of gas,” Schmidt said. Poor free-throw shooting hasn’t helped either, as Stratford made just 17 of 41 from the line in the wins over Iola-Scandinavia and Newman. However, against Assumption, the Tigers made 11 of 14 free throws.
“Our defense has been strong for most of the games until the end,” said Stratford’s top scorer, Derek Austin, who is averaging 13.2 points a game. “We start to get a little tired, but we find a way to pull it out in the end. It feels great to be able to finally pull some out.”
The Tigers’ determination to get better every day also has been a great help in them building a 6-4 record and 3-3 mark in the Marawood South.
Schmidt said his team is determined to improve and Shelley, a senior captain, knows it starts in practice.
“I think the hard work in practice and taking care of the ball late in games has been the difference,” Shelley said. “Coach Schmidt does a good job preparing for situations like that and we just happened to come out on top.”
With 10 games left in its conference season, Shelley said he is hopeful the Tigers can use the past couple of weeks as a springboard to finish strong.
“I think it’s definitely helped us build a lot of momentum,” Shelley said. “We’ve won four in a row, hoping to make it five, and go from there.
“We definitely would like to finish up in the top three. Right now, it’s playing well and getting ready for the tournament and getting the best seed we can.”
Stratford hosts Abbotsford in a nonconference game Thursday and Auburndale in a Marawood South game Tuesday before finishing with seven of its last nine games on the road, including a nonconference game against D.C. Everest at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee on Feb. 5.