Stratford girls locked in tight region race

Three teams sit near the top of the girls GHSA Region 7A-A race, each having a win over one of the other teams, meaning Stratford, FPD and Tattnall Square are all competing for the top spot.

"I think it's going to come down to us, Tattnall or FPD finishing in the top spot and be able to host the first round," Stratford head coach Ed Smith said. "It's very competitive. There are certain things that each of us do that give the other team problems,"

Smith and the Stratford Eagles are preparing for the stretch run toward the region playoffs. After the Eagles dropped a close contest to FPD, they have reeled off four straight victories over sub-region opponents.

The Eagles were ahead for much of the FPD game but stumbled down the stretch in the fourth quarter.

"We were on the verge of opening the game up on them last time," Smith said. "We just didn't put our foot on the gas. The last 12 minutes they outhustled us and outrebounded us,"

On Friday night, the Eagles get a second crack at FPD and with hopes of a different result this time around.

"They are not going to change much, and we aren't going to change much," Smith said. "It's just about doing things with more consistency and more effort,"

The Eagles bounced back with a win over the other team that is tied at the top, Tattnall: a 34-21 victory that helped even all three squads the first time through the region schedule.

The Eagles will take on Tattnall on the road Jan. 26 with region title implications on the line.

"If we aren't prepared for Tattnall coming at us, then we aren't very smart," Smith said. "We have played them enough in big games over the last four to five years that we know how they are going to play,"

The Eagles rely on Ashlee Francis to run their offense effectively as they play an inside outside brand of basketball. Averaging 19 points and eight rebounds on the season Francis has been the key to getting Stratford's offense going.

"It all starts inside with Ashlee Francis. She averages almost a double-double," Smith said. "We try to play inside out. We have good shooters in Carey Woodcock and Evans McCook,"

Woodcock and McCook have been able to draw defenders outside with their ability to hit the 3-point shot. Woodcock hit seven threes in one game and McCook hit five in the game against Wilkinson County according to Smith.

One of the keys for Smith is making sure his players know their role inside the offense in order to become more consistent on that end of the court.

"The key for us is for people to understand their role and what they are good at," Smith said. "Don't try and be what they are not. When we do that we are pretty good. When we play out of the system is when we give ourselves some problems,"

With the season winding down, each matchup means even more with a chance at a region title on the line.

"Our goal is the same as it is every year. We want to play for a region championship and advance to the Final Four," Smith said. "Anything less than that is not a great year for us."

This story was originally published January 21, 2016 at 10:16 PM with the headline "Stratford girls locked in tight region race ."