By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–An eight-day layoff didn’t seem to bother the Union City boys’ basketball team at all.
The fifth-ranked Golden Tornadoes – playing for the first time this week after a pair of weather-related postponements – produced their biggest point output and largest victory margin of the season with an 86-42 blowout of Greenfield in a Saturday afternoon makeup contest.
UC won for the eighth time in its last nine games and improved to 16-5 overall and 4-0 in District 14A with the mercy rule triumph.
The Twister starters played just three quarters before the team’s youngest reserves finished the rout.
Union City’s girls put up a good fight before dropping another close contest as Greenfield scored the game’s final two buckets to hand the Lady Tornadoes a 44-41 setback.
The Twister girls led 41-40 with 1:38 to play after a pair of Sh’Nyla Moss foul shots, but Brenley Little made a pair of shots over the next 75 seconds to send UC to its third loss in four league games.
All of those setbacks have been by single digits.
Union City will play three times next week – at home Tuesday against South Fulton and Friday vs. visiting Dresden for homecoming. A Saturday afternoon game at Gleason will close out the week.
UC 86, Greenfield 42 (B)
The Tornadoes’ depth and superior athleticism were obvious from the beginning, as they led by double digits before the contest was five minutes old.
Ben Kail made a pair of 3-pointers and scored all eight of his markers as Union City bolted to a 15-5 lead.
It was 24-14 at the first-quarter horn and 49-31 at halftime after Jack Tully scored eight inside and Malaki Brooks tallied seven in a 25-17 Twister second period.
UC was particularly impressive on the defensive end over the final two frames, limiting the Yellowjackets to only four field goals and 11 total points while forcing numerous turnovers.
In all, a dozen Tornado players scored – led by Brooks, who totaled a game-high 19. Tully and Kenny Moss finished with 10 apiece, and Jayden Evans – in the starting lineup due to an ankle injury to Joseph Lattus – totaled nine markers.
Greenfield 44, UC 41 (G)
Neither team led by more than six points – the Lady Tornadoes enjoying that cushion with three minutes left in the first quarter after Moss sank a triple and Marlee Theobald canned three free throws.
Five G’field 3-pointers in the first half helped the host team forge a 21-all deadlock, and the Lady Jackets – who remained unbeaten (4-0) in district play and improved to 11-7 overall – led 34-33 heading into the stretch run.
Union City did not make a field goal in the fourth quarter but did sink 8-of-11 free throws with top scorers Moss and Debrionna Jones saddled with foul troubles.
The game was tied twice, and UC led 39-38 at the midway mark of the stanza after Uriah Davis hit a free throw.
Moss finished with 19 points to lead the Twister girls, with Theobald pitching in 10.