The South Adams Starfires did everything they could to battle back from a small deficit against Lakewood Park Thursday night, but their success came too late in the contest and they fell, 40-35, in non-conference play.
A 15-point night from Laney Trausch and good defense overall were highlights for the home team, but a staggering number of turnovers and a poor shooting night hampered any hopes of gaining a victory.
“I really felt like we did some things better tonight despite the outcome,” admitted head coach Brett Freeman of his Starfires, who have now lost ten in a row. “Offensively we were getting some quality looks at the basket and we kept our turnovers down to a more respectable level.”
Grace Martin led the Panthers with 15 points.
“Unfortunately the ball just wouldn’t drop in for us,” said Freeman of his team’s shooting woes. The Stars made just eleven shots in 32 minutes of play. They trailed 21-18 at halftime.
Despite the poor shooting night, Freeman was still satisfied with his team’s defense.
“We had a lot of strong defensive possessions, but in too many of those possessions we gave up offensive rebounds that led to more possession for them. Those second-chance points made the difference in the outcome tonight.”
Freeman appreciated the chance to run his girls through the final minute of a close game heading into next week’s sectional.
“Being a tight game down the stretch allowed for some of our youth to learn from these late game situations,” said Freeman.
The Stars have one more game left in the regular season. They’ll host Mississinewa Saturday afternoon.
“We have one more game to get us ready for sectional,” noted the coach. “Hopefully we’ll use it to gain some positive momentum going forward.”
SA Scoring: Trausch 15, Lehman 7, Sprunger 6, Smith 3, Tenorio 3, Ch. Bollenbacher 1
Lakewood Park Scoring: Martin 15, Bontrager 12, Jacquay 9, Dock 2, Johnson 2
Starfire fans can hear every postseason game for the team via WZBD.
About the Author
