RANDY HISNER
WZBD.com
Trace Maller scored 30 points and Braylend Reber added 17 as the Adams Central Flying Jets rolled to a 67-37 win over county and ACAC rival South Adams Friday night at the Hangar.
Maller set the tone for the game with 10 first-quarter points on a fastbreak layup, a three-pointer from the right wing, and 5-for-5 free throw shooting. Reber also hit five free throws in the period, and the Jets (10-7, 3-3 ACAC) sprinted out to an 18-7 lead.
Maller, with eight points, and Reber, with four, helped the Jets dominate the Starfires (5-13, 1-5) in the second quarter by a 15-8 count, giving them a 33-15 lead at the half. Maller’s 18 points in the half were already enough to make him high scorer for the game.
“Trace obviously had a tremendous game. He just continues to dominate,” said Adams Central coach Aaron McClure of his leading scorer, who dropped 40 on highly regarded Tipton less than two weeks ago. “He’s definitely that three-level scorer that they talk about. He can get to the rim, he can score mid-range on a variety of tough shots, and he can also knock down the three-pointer. And he’s shooting over 80% from the foul line.”
“They didn’t really have an answer for Braylend down inside,” added McClure. The Starfires repeatedly fouled Reber in the paint, sending him to the line 10 times in the first half. He hit seven of his attempts and added a field goal for nine points at the break.
But Kyle Roe’s Starfires didn’t go down without a fight. In the third quarter they hit 10-of-10 free throws to win the period, 14-11, and close the gap to 44-29.
“Every game they seem to have a stretch where they play really well,” McClure said.
He praised the Starfires’ Tytus Lehman, who scored eight in the period (six on free throws) and led South Adams with 17 points. “He can get down to the rim,” he noted. “He’s not exceptionally quick, but he uses his body really well. He does a good job of getting fouled, and he hits a high percentage from the free throw line.”Â
Freshman Starfire forward Gavin Herring hit all four of his free throws in the period on his way to a 14-point night.
Maller scored six and, at the 1:12 mark, electrified the crowd with a breakaway dunk.
The Jets put the game out of reach with a 10-0 run to start the fourth quarter, sparking a 23-8 advantage. Senior Braden Dalrymple scored seven in the period to become the third Jet to reach double figures with 10.
“We were able to get some turnovers, get some stuff going to the rim, and they were extending their defense a little bit, which left the middle open, and we were able to take advantage of that,” McClure said, explaining the Jets’ resurgence.
The Jets forced the Starfires into six turnovers in the final quarter and 22 for the game.
The Jets made 17-of-28 twos (61%), 3-of-16 threes (19%), and 21-of-30 free throws (70%). The Starfires were 11-for-29 on twos (38%), 0-for-9 on threes, and 15-for-19 on free throws (79%).
Adams Central scorers: Maller 30, Reber 17, Dalrymple 10, Lawson Deathe 5, Drew Johnson 3, Marcus Bollenbacher 2
South Adams scorers: Lehman 17, Herring 14, Derek McKean 3, Hunter Fields 2, Nolan Colpaert 1.
Adams Central won the JV game, 53-40. Cooper Steele led the Jets with 16 points. Mavrick Becher added 15 on five three-pointers. Easton O’Dell led South Adams with 10. The Jets made it a sweep for the night with a 32-29 win in the C-team game.
On Tuesday South Adams will host Bellmont, and Adams Central will travel to Southwood.
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