After heavy losses to graduation from last year’s team, South Adams head coach Garrett Krieg started the ’23-’24 campaign in the friendly confines of the StarDome Wednesday night, but the home Starfires had a cold shooting night as several players equaled or surpassed their career totals in varsity minutes played in a season-opening clash with the Union City Indians.
Second-chance shots and costly turnovers gave the visitors 13 more shots in the contest than their hosts and it made plenty of difference in the 46-29 Union City victory.
The two teams played the first quarter evenly and it ended 9-9 after eight minutes, but Union City gained an advantage heading into halftime when South Adams simply could not find the bucket in the second quarter.
Tytus Lehman actually gave the Starfires the lead with a pair of free throws to start the second and again with a jumper in the paint at 13-12, but the home team did not make another field goal in the final five and a half minutes.
“It’s frustrating when you come into the night and you have an idea of what you think is going to happen,” said coach Krieg after the game. “We take a good shot and miss and they get the rebound and come down and also have a good shot and they make, that’s the difference between the two teams right now.”
Union City led 22-14 at the half.
In the third quarter, UC scored 15 points and built a double-digit lead.
The Starfires knocked down just three shots in the final quarter and finished the night 10 of 34 from the field.
Lehman led the Stars with ten points. Derek McKean added six and both Owen Wanner and Conner Fear had four.
The Indians were led in scoring by senior Conner Walser, who finished with 14, leading all scorers.
Senior guard Angel Nieto knocked down three threes and finished with 12 points. Tanner Spence added 11 for the visitors.