By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–The wins keep on coming for Union City.
After the Lady Tornadoes recorded their third straight victory with a 54-39 triumph over Lake County Tuesday night, the third-ranked UC boys ran their winning streak to eight with a 75-38 romp over the Falcons.
UC’s latest triumphs were significant in that it pulled the Twisters girls to the break-even mark (4-4) in District 14A play. The Tornado boys, meanwhile, reached the 20-win mark for the season (20-5) and locked up the regular season league title and No. 1 postseason seed.
Slow starts and strong finishes were the themes in both contests as UC completed a season sweep of LC.
Debrionna Jones recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds and made 10-of-12 free throws for the Lady Tornadoes, who hit 21-of-27 from the foul line as a team.
Union City – which now has its second three-game winning streak of the year – outscored the Falcon girls 15-5 in the second quarter to expand on a six-point lead after one.
After an abysmal offensive first period in the nightcap in which the Tornadoes made just one field goal and committed several uncharacteristic turnovers in falling behind 10-5, the UC boys rounded into their season-long form.
The Twisters blitzed Lake County with a 59-24 run over the middle two frames to record their sixth mercy-rule triumph over the year.
Maliki Brooks – held scoreless for the first 13 minutes of the contest – caught fire in the second frame with a trio of 3-pointers, one of which he converted into a rare four-point play.
No UC starter played in the fourth quarter.
The Tornadoes will close their regular season with a three-game homestand, the first of those Friday night against Gleason.
UC 54, LC 39 (G)
Union City (11-13) beat the Lake County girls for the third time in as many meetings Tuesday, extending the Lady Falcons’ losing skid to 11 games.
A pair of Marlee Theobald 3-pointers in the final two minutes of the opening stanza jumpstarted the Twister girls.
While UC struggled to consistently hit from the field, it had no trouble at the charity stripe. The Purple and Gold made 10-of-12 in the first half, with Jones – who also blocked five shots – hitting six in a row in the second quarter.
Jayla Turner’s triple just 11 seconds before the intermission gave the Lady Tornadoes a 27-11 lead.
Sh’Nyla Moss had 14 of her game-best 16 points after halftime to keep Union City in front. She sank two free throws and three buckets after Blair McKinnis scored to quiet an LC uprising in the fourth frame.
UC 75, LC 38 (B)
The ‘real’ Tornadoes showed up after a tough beginning.
Union City’s relentless fullcourt defense helped minimize the damage of a slow start, then fueled a dominant 16-minute stretch in the middle two quarters.
The Twisters forced 29 Lake County turnovers, many of those setting up good looks on the offensive end.
UC scored 20 points in succession to open the second quarter – punctuated by Brooks’ four-point possession. Finn Frankum, who drew three charges in the game defensively, also contributed with a pair of buckets as the Tornadoes did not allow the host team to score until the 2:19 mark of the period.
Ahead 31-19 at the mid-game break, the Twisters exploded again to begin the third period on a 15-5 flurry. Joseph Lattus, DeAngelo Monroe, and Tayehari Jones all had multiple points in the 33-point outburst as Union City’s lead ballooned to 64-34 at the horn.
Reserves put the finishing touches on the blowout while the clock ran continuously over the final eight minutes.
Brooks finished with 21 points to lead UC, while Ben Kail had 11 markers and led the team in rebounding and ‘hustle’ plays.