The Unified Basketball team lost to the Newton South Lions 57-50, in a packed home opener at Schluntz Gym on Thursday, Sept. 18.

Warrior energy going into the game was high, with junior Bart Chen winning the tipoff. Despite this, the Lions were first to put points on the board.

The first points for the Warriors came from Chen, who made big plays all game. As a result, the Warriors spent most of the half leading, but the Lions never fell too far behind, keeping the Warriors only 4 points ahead at most.

Assistant coach Alexa Bader attributed their success to the team’s hustle and teamwork.

“I think they did a great job playing together, a great job tightening up on defense, grabbing rebounds, trying to give everyone a chance to score,” Bader said.

The Lions went into the second half with a 26-20 lead, scoring two critical baskets at the end of the first half.

The start of the second half was a defensive battle between the two teams, with neither team able to score a significant number of points in a row.

A big factor in the game was the crowd’s atmosphere, which Bader had high praise for.

“Oh, I loved it,” Bader said. “It had a good crowd, a ton of people cheering on everyone, and I loved having an announcer.”

By the 15th minute, the floodgates flew open. Both teams traded baskets, and the Warriors were able to cut the Lions’ lead down to 41-38 with 12 minutes left.

Despite their efforts, the Warriors were not able to regain the lead and ultimately fell short 57-50. Undeterred by the unfortunate loss, junior Jacob Fisch is hopeful for the rest of the season.

“I think this game showed how we’re a contender for the championship with a little bit of some tweaks and practice,” Fisch said. “We’ll be ready for the playoffs.”

Bader also said that multiple players worked very hard on both sides of the ball throughout the game.

Although the Warriors did not come out with the result they wanted, they showed strength and resilience, leaving a hopeful sentiment regarding the rest of the season.

Senior Ramses Smith Jr. was not discouraged by the loss either.

“I think we competed well. We did what we had to do,” Smith Jr. said. “Even though we came short, we’ll come back for the next game.”