BY JIM MISUNAS jmisunas@gbtribune.com STAFFORD -- After back-to-back Heart of the Plains basketball championships by Stafford Middle School, the future is promising for the Stafford Trojans. Stafford Middle School girls basketball coach Jamie Kreutzer has led the Trojans to two consecutive Heart of the Plains titles for the first time in school history. The Trojans finished with a 14-2 record and avenged both regular-season losses to Norwich and Cunningham in the HOPL tournament. "Our team motto was 'Desire, Discipline, Dedication, Run as One,' " Kreutzer said. "We did that. These girls left it all on the court. We're so proud of them." Stafford Middle School has captured back-to-back HOPL basketball and volleyball championships. The Trojans (14-2) lost to Norwich and Cunningham in the HOPL season to finish 7-2 in league games. Stafford had a surprise waiting for both teams in the HOPL Tournament. No. 3 seed Stafford defeated Hutchinson Central Christian 43-21 and upset Norwich 21-20 in the semifinals. "Last year, Norwich beat Stafford in the regular season and we played them for the championship and won, "Kreutzer said. Stafford beat the No. 1 seeded team, undefeated Cunningham in the HOPL championship 30-21. The Trojans played full-court pressure and half-court zone defense during the regular season. "What made us successful in the tournament was we changed up our offense and defense to better match up to our opponents each game," Kreutzer said. Kruetzer was pleased the girls gained confidence to play their best basketball at the end of the season. "We improved on our fast-paced game style," she said. "We improved by being confident and disciplined in our full-court press. We were able to take care of the ball at a faster pace. Overall, we improved by playing as a team." The Stafford middle school girls have embraced the challenge of playing basketball. "In middle school, girls try different sports to see what they like and don't like," she said. "We've been fortunate to have a team of 16-to-18 girls the last couple years. In a small school, you become a family and stick together!" Several freshmen are already contributing on the Stafford Trojan varsity girls basketball team. Stafford is 9-11 guided by girls basketball coach Nicholas Minks after the Trojans were 6-56 the past three seasons.