High school basketball brackets can cut a great season short. After being ranked in the Top 20 most of the season and losing only to Jayton in the 5-1A district, including an overtime squeaker, the Spur Spurettes varsity girls’ basketball team ended up with Sands, the number one team in the state, for their area playoff game.
The 26–9 overall and 8–2 district Spurettes lost to Sands Thursday night in Post 55–32, but got within eight late in the fourth quarter before succumbing to the powerhouse from the Permian Basin.
Head coach David Castellon took time out this weekend, even though it was the same weekend where the Castellons welcomed a new baby, for a Q-and-A to reflect back on the season with The Texas Spur.
THE TEXAS SPUR How would you describe this year?
COACH DAVID CASTELLON We had a great year. Every year is fun to try and find out our identity. We had a really fun crew this year. One of my favorite things about the season was finally getting back to normal. No masks, limited attendance, or anything along those lines. It made the game so much more enjoyable for our kids.
Who are your seniors, and how should Spurette fans remember them?
Tristen Martin, Mallory Leary, Savanah Olivarez and Emily Molina were our four seniors this year. They have been with me for five years. They work hard in everything they do, and I couldn’t be more thankful to have coached my seniors.
What was it like for your team to win a “gold ball?”
It was a great experience for our girls to win a gold ball this year. We have quite a few young players returning next year. That should give them the confidence to give it another good run next year. The seniors have won a gold ball every single year they’ve been in high school. Not many kids or programs can say that.
Were there turning points this year that you remember as key to the team's success?
We have suffered nonstop injuries this year. I think we played two or three games with our full roster this year. We started off slow and lost three out of our first four games. I think it was a slow start this year because of the success we had in cross country. When we hosted our tournament in Spur, that was the turning point. We won four games in a row at our tournament, which started us in the right direction for the rest of the season.
What’s the one thing you’d like the town to know about your team?
I want our community to know that our girls work really hard to represent our town. They give the community something to rally behind. They gave everything they had every single game. So many lessons were learned throughout the season, whether it was good or bad — we are better because of it!
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