STC sophomore Gabe Shields attempts a three point shot during the Trojans first game of the season against Grinnell on Monday, November 30. News Herald Photo/Allison Graham

New seasons often times mean new faces and this year is no exception for the South Tama boys basketball team. Not only do the Trojans have a new head coach in Burdette Brown, but also several young players that have not logged very many minutes in a varsity lineup.

The Trojans hosted the Grinnell Tigers for their opening game of the season and despite Grinnell taking the 53-48 win, the Trojans showed a lot of promise and potential for what is surely to be an exciting season.

Starting for the Trojans were Adonis Lasley, Gabe Shields, Triston Lasley, Riley Davenport, and Wade Brown. Due to injuries from the football season senior Darius Lasley-Shields and junior Clayton Rosenberger did not dress for the night. But for Coach Brown it was almost a blessing in disguise because it forced some younger players to step into new rolls for the team.

From the tip off it was a very fast paced game. The Trojans, though undersized, have a lot of speed that presented a challenge for the veteran Grinnell squad to keep up with. The key for the Trojans throughout the season will likely be to find a balance between speed and control.

One player in particular who stepped up for the Trojans was sophomore Gabe Shields. You probably wouldn’t have been able to tell from his performance Monday but Shields had never started a varsity game. In his debut, the sophomore guard led the Trojans with 16 points and three rebounds. Shields was not the only sophomore to contribute in Monday’s game however. Lane Koch, Nathan Lasley, Courage Tyon, and Justus Ward, who led the team in rebounds with seven, all logged minutes in their first varsity action against Grinnell. Although the group of youngsters has few varsity minutes under their belt, they are no strangers to success on the court. Last season under the tutelage of freshman coach (now assistant varsity coach) Lon Wilkerson, the group finished with an impressive 19-4 record.

Coach Burdette Brown, who took the reigns from Nate Doran, is no stranger to the Tama-Toledo community. Back in the late 80’s and into the 90’s Brown owned the former Dairy Queen. He simply could not have been prouder for how his team performed in their first game.

With a promising start on Monday and with two proven starters (Rosenberger and Lasley-Shields) on their way back from injury, the outlook for the 2015/16 Trojans looks bright.

STATS

Points: Shields 16, Adonis Lasley 4, Triston Lasley 5, Koch 2, Davenport 11, Brown 6, Nathan Lasley 4

Rebounds: Shields 3, T. Lasley 2, Davenport 6, Ward 7, Brown 5, N. Lasley 1

Blocks: A. Lasley 1, Davenport 2

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