Alana Nelson (54) of Springport High School looks for an open teammate during a home game Monday against Homer.
By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports
Springport High School girls’ varsity basketball Coach Rick Saldana calls players Alex Maher and Alana Nelson his “Kobe and Shaq.”
Only at times it is hard to tell who is playing Kobe and who is supposed to be Shaq.
Nelson likes to take over at the point guard position and be the team leader like Kobe. But most players in the Big Eight Conference will tell you she plays hard inside in Shaq.
Maher likes to get physical inside and grab rebounds that others miss. But the junior is the leader on the floor who sets the offensive tone in a game.
Either way Maher and Nelson have Springport on top in the Big Eight with a chance to win three titles – albeit not NBA titles – before they graduate in 2020.
The Spartans are 9-2 overall and 8-0 in the Big Eight following a 58-25 win over Homer Monday night at home.
After starting the season at 0-2 – with losses to Grass Lake and Leslie – the Spartans are on a nine-game winning streak. They have won five of those games by 25 or more points and get it done on the defensive side of the ball to create offense.
“I tell our players there are nights when the basketball is not going to go into the hoop,” Saldana said. “But you can always play great defense.”
The Spartans have bought into the idea.
“We work hard on defense in practice,” Nelson said. “If we make a mistake in practice, we correct it and move on.”
What is most impressive is the trapping defenses other teams face every night against Springport. Playing like their hair is on fire, nothing comes easy for the opponents as the scrappy Spartans go for every loose ball – led by Maher at the beginning of the trap and Nelson waiting at the other end should someone get through the defense.
Both Nelson and Maher have been playing at the varsity level since freshmen. The Spartans won a Big Eight title in 2017 but fell short last year.
Their first goal of the season is to win the Big Eight Conference title.
“I think we can win the conference and go further,” Nelson said.
Nelson is leading the Spartans with just over 18 points per game, more than 110 rebounds for the season and is second on the team with 32 steals. She is shooting 49 percent from the field.
Maher is the field general for the Spartans. She sets the offense for Springport, averages just over 14 points per game, has more than 40 assists and nearly 50 steals.
Both are juniors and Maher realized coming into the 2018-2019 season that someone had to step up.
“We graduated a lot of senior players, so I knew I had to step up as a leader on the team,” Maher said earlier in the season. “I am excited about that role.”
Monday against Homer, Maher scored 19 points, dished three assists and made four steals. Nelson scored 16 points – including 10 in the final quarter – and snared 13 rebounds for Springport.
Chloe Marsh added 12 points and eight rebounds in the win for Springport.
Homer was led by Rylie Lowder with nine points and Brooke McCone with seven points in the loss.
Photos by Jeff Steers/JTV Sports