Retrospect: Starfires' season came to an end

The Starfires rolled through the state tournament more than two decades ago.

To date it’s the furthest they’ve ever gotten, and also the last time they’ve earned a postseason trophy.

Twenty-five years ago this week the South Adams High School boys basketball team had its dream season come to an end with an 86-71 loss to the Warsaw Tigers in the semi-state semifinal March 20, 1993, in South Bend.

It was an abrupt end for the Starfires, who finished the season 22-4 and won what is still the program’s only sectional championship.

Warsaw lost in the semi-state championship to South Bend St. Joseph, which fell to Jeffersonville in the state title game.

South Adams trailed for most of the game, and trimmed a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter to just two points with 4:19 to play. But the Starfires gambled on defense, often leaving Warsaw players wide open, and the Tigers scored the next eight points and closed the game on a 15-5 run.

Warsaw shot 74 percent from the floor in the second half and was 63 percent for the game.

“The whole game we felt if we could just get the lead, we could hang onto it,” SAHS senior Jeff Sorg said. “(Warsaw) is physical, which we pretty much expected. But we didn’t count on them shooting the lights out like they were.”

Jason Sorg and Jeff Zurcher shared the team-high with 19 points.

South Adams has not won a sectional title since.