Seven Lakes is starting to hit its stride.

The Spartans have stepped up their game recently, finding something they didn’t have earlier in the season and getting big wins in District 19-6A.

That improvement was on full display Monday, as Seven Lakes used a suffocating defense to beat Paetow 64-36, going into the Christmas break on a high note as winners of four straight.

“It’s always a work in progress when you have a new coach come in, but they’re getting better every time out,” said Seven Lakes head coach Doug Watson. “It can be hard with a different style and new terminology but they came out and played as a team. They did some really good things today and they keep getting better, that’s all you can ask for as a coach.”

Seven Lakes had a slow start to the game, but turned it around quickly. After falling behind 10-9, the Spartans flipped things immediately and led 17-10 after the first quarter, increasing their lead to 31-18 going into halftime behind a strong full court trap that gave Paetow problems all game.

“Our press is hard for teams to deal with, we have a bunch of very long players and then two quick guards to back them up so a lot of teams have a hard time handling that pressure,” said sophomore post Madison Carlton. “It’s a huge advantage for us, it helps us get out on the break and it’s a fun way to play.”

Seven lakes continued to grow its lead through the second half, going up 44-28 after the third quarter and keeping that lead on the way to the win.

Madison Carlton led the way with 24 points while being a huge presence in the post while freshman Gracie Hobin had 14 points and used her length extremely well.

“Gracie doesn’t play like a freshman and she’s not afraid of the moment,” Watson said. “it took her a bit of time and she came over late from volleyball but she’s just done a great job of learning and picking things up quickly. She’s a great piece to have on the team.”

The game also marked the return of Justice Carlton as she continues to rehab from a torn ACL. The senior scored two points in limited time and will be hoping to ramp up more when the Spartans return after Christmas break. Overall, the Spartans sit in fifth place in district and will hope to keep gaining ground with the first half of district rounding up.

“The great thing about this team is we work hard and trust each other,” Hobin said. “The practices have been great and everyone keeps getting better and better. We’ve been doing a lot of work and if we keep doing that we’re going to keep moving up the standings.”

District 19-6A

Seven Lakes 64, Paetow 36

Points: (SL) Madison Carlton 24, Gracie Hobin 14, Shreya Jategaonkar 8, Victoria Hudspeth 5, Caitlyn Quintero 4, Justice Carlton 2, Calianna Calibo 2, Dulce Franco 2, Lenore Hudspeth 2; (P) Naddilee French 19, Tiera Hall 6, Sam Neitsch 7 Kameron Singleton 2, Amaya White 2;

Halftime: Seven Lakes 31, Paetow 18; 3-Pointers: (P) French 3, Neitsch; Records: Seven Lakes: 12-8, 4-2; Paetow: 8-9, 3-3;