By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Another District 13A game meant another win for the Union City boys.
The streaking Golden Tornadoes remained perfect in league play and won their eighth straight overall with an easy 71-44 triumph over visiting Greenfield Friday night.
UC, which has won each of its district games by double figures, improved to 12-6 overall after outclassing the Yellowjackets for the second time this season. The Purple and Gold won an earlier meeting 74-34.
A 24-11 second quarter put the Twisters firmly in control and up 41-21 at halftime.
Freshman Malachi Brooks drained a pair of 3-pointers during a 21-5 flurry in that second frame before Ben Martinek and Carter Walton made back-to-back buckets to stretch the difference to 23 (38-15) with just under two minutes until intermission.
The Union City girls had no such good fortune in the opener.
The Lady Tornadoes did rally from a 13-point deficit to force overtime, but G’field scored the game’s final 11 points to avenge an earlier 17-point loss with a 61-50 victory.
UC could manage only an Amari Bonds deuce in the extra four-minute session and missed its final seven shots from the field. The Lady ‘Jackets (9-5, 6-2), meanwhile, made a living from the foul line in the OT, hitting 9-of-10 attempts to pull a half-game ahead of the Tornado girls (7-9, 5-2) for second place in the league standings.
Jada Williams carried the load for Union City offensively until getting help from her teammates in the final stanza, scoring 20 of her team-high 23 points in the first three periods before fouling out in the overtime.
Bonds added 13 to the Lady Twister cause.
Union City will next play at Dresden on Tuesday night.
UC 71, Greenfield 44 (B)
AJ Blackman’s 3-pointer was the only bucket by either team in the first four minutes before UC began to find its groove.
Blackman made another triple and a deuce to help the Tornadoes build their first double-figure lead (15-5).
Up 17-10 at the first-quarter horn, the Twisters then got on a roll, scoring 12 of the first 14 points of the second frame in the first three minutes of the quarter.
With the margin at 20 entering the second half, Union City used a variety of combinations and substitutions, yet still built on its lead. Martinek converted again on a drive to stretch the difference to 55-28 and it was 58-32 with still eight minutes to play.
The youngest of reserves played out the string for the Tornadoes and more than held their own.
Ben McMillan led a list of 11 players to score for the victors with 14 points. Brooks finished with 11 and Blackman totaled 10. All three of those players connected twice from beyond the arc as part of an offense that produced seven 3-pointers in all.
Greenfield 61, UC 50 (G)
Down by as many as 13 twice early in the second half and with Williams the lone consistent threat on the offensive end, the Lady Tornadoes cranked up their defensive intensity to not only get back in the game, but also stretch the game into another period.
Williams’ 3-ball at the third-quarter horn got UC within 40-32 and the Twister girls ultimately drew even at 46 after Bonds sank a 3-pointer and Sophie Theobald converted an old-fashioned 3-point play with 1:17 showing in regulation.
Greenfield made a pair of charities to go back in front with 18 second left, but Theobald hit the second of two foul shots at the 7-second mark and Williams did the same after snagging a steal two seconds later to forge a 48-all tie.
The Lady ‘Jackets controlled the overtime after a 50-all deadlock, however, hitting six straight free throws in the final 45 seconds while Union City failed to connect on a variety of shots from angles and distances.
Theobald followed Williams and Bonds on the Tornado score sheet with nine markers.