An unexpected early start time put Midway’s JV Raiders at a disadvantage on the road against Trask, who took the conference opener 51-45.

Raider Coach Matthew Creech said the JV team arrived at Trask just after 4 expecting a 6 p.m. game, but were quickly told that they needed to start at 4:30.

“From that point on we were in a rush,” Creech said. “We never really had the opportunity to prepare physically, much less mentally. But I have to hand it to Trask, either way, they played a great game and were the better team on the court this afternoon.”

Midway’s JV went ahead in the first quarter by 1, 13-12, but weren’t able to maintain the early momentum, heading into the half behind 28-22.

“It really can’t be blamed on the guys. They gave it their best, but they simply weren’t ready,” Creech stressed.

Trask took the half-time advantage into the third quarter, adding to their lead and ending the period up 41-28.

Although Midway took advantage of some opportunities, they were never able to overcome the early deficit.

Leading the way for the JV Raiders was Paris Smith with 16 points, closely followed by Jamarrious Baggett with 15. Also scoring were Tyler Mayes, 7; Cameron Hobbs, 3; and Collin Warren and Larry Blanks with 2 a piece.

Midway moves to 7-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play. They host Wallace-Rose Hill Thursday.