RANDY HISNER
WZBD.com
BERNE – After six straight losses over the past four years to county and conference rival Adams Central, the South Adams Starfires stopped the streak in a big way with a 70-49 win Friday night at the Stardome.
The Starfires improved to 8-10 (2-4 in the ACAC); the Jets dropped to 3-14 and 2-4.
Senior guard Derek McKean made the most of what could have been his last opportunity to notch a win over the Jets. He took game scoring honors with 20 points while missing only three shots.
Starfire coach Kyle Roe certainly liked what he saw from McKean. “He played well. I think he changed speeds a lot,” Roe said. “I was really watching him, and, you know, he would slow down and then attack or speed up and then slow down, and so I really think he kept them off pace with his change of speeds, and I thought it really helped him get to the basket, and when the defense collapsed, he’d kick it out.”
McKean scored 10 of his points in a red-hot first quarter without missing a shot, knocking down a pair of threes, a layup on a baseline drive, and two free throws. Henry Fields scored four points in the final minute on a putback and a pair of free throws to expand the 15-12 Starfire lead to 19-12 at the first stop.
Five points from Gavin Herring and a three-pointer by Tytus Lehman in the left corner helped the Starfires gain a 12-10 advantage in the second quarter and take a 31-22 lead into the locker room. Braylend Reber led the Jets’ offense in the quarter with five points.
Reber opened the third quarter with a drive for two points to get the Jets within seven at 31-24. Herring countered with a floater. Lawson Deathe then sandwiched a drive and a three-pointer around a free throw by the Starfires’ Owen Roe to cut the lead to five at 34-29. McKean put it back to seven with a fast break layup off a South Adams turnover, but Deathe, continuing his hot streak, hit a drive on the right side to get it back to 36-31.
Roe was in the right place at the right time to pick up a loose ball and shoot an easy layup, but the Jets’ Andy Geels hit his second triple of the game at the 4:10 mark. That closed the gap to to four at 38-34, and it looked like anybody’s ballgame.
The Starfires had seen enough. They went on a 13-4 run the rest of the quarter, the points shared among four players—Lehman (drive down the middle of the lane), Herring (old-fashioned three-point play and an easy bucket on the left block, thanks to Henry Craig’s assist), Craig (a pair of fast break layups, including one on a pinpoint baseball pass from Lehman), and Fields (a strong post move on the right block).
That gave South Adams a solid 51-38 lead heading into the final quarter. For the Jets to get back into the contest, they’d need a great start to the final frame.
They didn’t get it.
Though Reber opened the scoring with a pair of free throws, the Starfires scored the next five points on a putback by Fields and triple by Lehman from the top of the key, making it a 16-point lead, 56-40, with 5:38 to go. The Jets would never get closer than 13 the rest of the way as South Adams owned the fourth quarter, 19-11.
Roe credited his bench with playing a key role in the win. “I really like the way we had some good substitutions, and we kept our legs fresh,” he said. “You know, I thought we had some easy run outs in that third quarter, early fourth quarter. So I thought, you know, we had an extra gear, maybe because I had a little bit deeper bench.”
The Jets got only one point from their non-starters; the Starfires got 18.
Scoring for South Adams: McKean 20; Herring 14; Lehman 12; Fields 8; Roe and Craig 6; Nate Colpaert 4.
Scoring for Adams Central: Reber 16; Deathe 13; Drew Johnson 10; Geels 8; Mason Manley and Mavrick Becher 1.
The Starfires had 11 turnovers, the Jets 19.
The Starfires will travel to Bellmont next Tuesday. The Jets will make the long trip to Eastside on Saturday, February 14. Game time is 1:00 P.M.
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