25 Feb Springdale Preparatory School Defeats SPIRE Academy
Lions notch first victory over acclaimed national program
(New Windsor, MD) – The Springdale Lions notched its biggest win in school history with a 64-58 victory over national powerhouse SPIRE Academy from Geneva, Ohio, last week. Springdale Preparatory School is a college preparatory boarding and day school located in New Windsor, Carroll County, Maryland.
The win reversed the tide from the two schools’ previous meeting in October, when SPIRE bested the Lions 81-68, and twice last season by more than 20 points, with NBA-bound star LaMelo Ball.
“We remembered our earlier losses against SPIRE, and we were determined to reverse that trend. Prior to last Sunday’s win, they defeated us all three times we previously matched up against them,” says Head Coach Tyrone Johnson. “A couple of players really stepped up for us offensively and our defense kept the game tightly controlled for three quarters.”
Senior Auston Bailey (13.8 points per game average) led all scorers with 31 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Eighth grader Kadon Fossett (14 ppg) added 19 points and 4 rebounds.
The hotly-contested game found SPIRE ahead after the first quarter, 13-12, and 29-26 at halftime. Springdale’s defense kept it close, allowing SPIRE just 10 points in the period, and enabled the Lions to pull to a tie at 36 at the end of the third quarter. In an explosive fourth quarter, the Lions outscored SPIRE 28-22 to record the landmark win for the program and pull the season record to 9-9.
The young Lions varsity squad started Bailey and Fossett along with another senior and two freshmen and faced stiff competition including Takoma Academy in Takoma Park, Md., the Bishop Walsh School in Cumberland, Md., and Benedictine College Preparatory School in Richmond, Va.
The Springdale Lions will conclude competition for this season at the USA National Prep Basketball Championship, March 5-7, in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.