Union’s junior varsity boys gave it all they had Tuesday night in a home battle with Wallace-Rose Hill, but the more powerful Bulldogs were just too much for the Spartans, who lost the conference matchup 74-50.

“The score doesn’t reflect how hard our guys played tonight,” said Union JV coach Bryant Register. “I was so proud of their effort. They gave it everything they had from start to finish. I can’t ask any more than that.”

Register tipped his hat to Wallace, saying they were a well-coached team. “I congratulate Wallace on a great game. They are a very athletic team, probably one of the most athletic teams I’ve seen. They come at you in waves and it’s hard to defend them.”

That’s what happened Tuesday, as the visitors jumped out to an early 20-4 lead in the first quarter. That run, Register said, gave them the momentum needed to execute their style game.

“They just wore us down. They hit us with that run and we really were never able to recover,” Register said.

But the JV coach said he was still very proud of his young Spartans. “They could have easily folded, but they didn’t do that. Instead they played just as hard as they could, and they did that from the start to the final buzzer.”

Register said this was the kind of game he could use as a teaching tool as the Spartans return to practice and get ready for their next game Friday at home against Trask.

Christian Boykin led scoring for the Union JV with 15 points. Also scoring were Brandon Johnson, 8; JaVonte Henry, 8; Jamar Newkirk, 7; Devin Henry, 5; Jawan Newkirk, 5; and Shyquan Brunson, 2.

The loss moves Union’s record to 5-12 overall and 3-8 in conference play.