By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Union City found its shooting touch … in Carbondale.
The Golden Tornadoes, who’d struggled from the field in dropping four of their previous five games, shot a blistering 58 percent from the floor in whipping Meridian (Ill.) 80-47 in the opening round of the 55thannual Carbondale Holiday Tournament Thursday afternoon.
UC (8-5) advanced to tonight’s first semifinal at 6:30 when it will face Memphis University School (MUS) on the campus of Southern Illinois University. MUS whipped Saxony Lutheran 63-33 in another first round game Thursday.
Another victory tonight would put the Purple and Gold in the championship game of the upper bracket, to be played Saturday afternoon at 1:30, also at SIU.
The Twisters rediscovered their scoring ways Thursday, resembling the team that started the year 6-1 before its recent shooting slump with a season-high point output.
Union City outscored Meridian 69-31 over the final three quarters after trailing by five at the first-period horn.
The Tornadoes made 8-of-14 from beyond the 3-point line during that time.
UC shot 11-of-25 from outside the arc in all – Ben McMillan (6) and Tyler Walton (5) combining for all those trifectas.
The Twisters hit two-thirds (20-of-30) of their 2-point attempts in the contest.
“They were basically the same shots we’d been missing the last few games,” Union City head coach Shane Sisco said of his team’s offensive fireworks.
Ahead 32-27 at the half, Union City outscored its Missouri opponent 26-11 in the third stanza, then finished them off with a 22-9 fourth-quarter blitz.
McMillan finished with a season-high 29 points – hitting a trio of 3-pointers in each half. Walton, the steadiest of the Tornado players this season, drained three treys in the third period and ended up with 19 markers.
Nick Sanders (9), Taylan Tribble (9) and Neil Brown (4) combined to give the Tornadoes 22 points in the post.
UC took good care of the ball, committing just six turnovers while forcing Meridian into 16.
The Twisters won the rebounding battle 31-24.
Meridian shot just 36 percent from the floor.
Photo: Ben McMillan (Mike Hutchens photo).
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