Tyler Walton
By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
The Union City girls joined the Tornado boys as winners in holiday tournament basketball Friday.
The Twister girls edged Munford 35-34 in the Dot Foods Christmas Classic at Dyersburg in their first action in 11 days.
UC’s boys, meanwhile, advanced to the Final 4 round of the 55th annual Carbondale Holiday Tournament with their second win in as many days, 59-49, over Memphis University School.
The Purple and Gold squads will be back in action again today in their final games on the 2018 calendar.
The Lady Tornadoes (5-7) will face Riverside (Ark.) at 1:30 in Dyersburg.
The Union City boys will play twice – first vs. Collins Academy (Ill.) at 1:30. Another victory would put the Twisters in the overall championship game at 8 p.m., against the winner of the Munderlein (Ill.)-Marion (Ill.) winner.
A loss in the afternoon contest would push UC to the third-place game at 6:30 p.m. vs. the Munderlein-NMC loser.
Union City’s two teams will then take a short break before beginning the second half of the 2018-19 campaign Jan. 4, hosting Bradford, before entertaining Crockett County the following night.
UC will play eight of its 13 second-half games at Marty Sisco Gymnasium before beginning postseason play.
UC 35, Munford 34 (G)
Sophie Theobald hit four 3-pointers on her way to a game-high 16 points and Kyndall Davis made a pair of key fourth quarter free throws as the Lady Tornadoes stopped a four-game skid.
Theobald sank a pair of treys in the first period, and one more in both the second and third stanzas.
Union City trailed 14-10 after one, but limited the Lady Cougars to just one free throw in the second frame while taking a 19-15 intermission advantage.
The Lady Twisters held a slim 25-23 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Jada Williams was just a point shy of double figures with nine markers, while Davis totaled five.
UC hit 75 percent (6-of-8) from the free throw line, while Munford was just 2-of-4.
UC 59, MUS 49 (B)
The Golden Tornadoes (9-5) erased a slim first-quarter deficit with a 32-14 flurry over the middle two quarters to pull away and beat the Owls on their way to today’s semis.
Tyler Walton was on fire, bottoming three of his five 3-pointers in the third period on his way to a contest-best 24 points.
Walton, who has tallied a combined 43 points in UC’s two victories in the tournament to lead all scorers, has hit 10 trifectas in those games. He had 15 of his Friday points in the second and third stanzas.
Kaler Bobo and Ben McMillan just missed twin figures with nine markers apiece, while Tariq Broadway finished with eight.
Union City shot better than 50 percent from the field for the second straight game, hitting 54 percent (21-of-39) of its field goal attempts. The Tornadoes were 13-of-21 from 2-point range (61.9 percent), 8-of-18 (44.4 percent) from beyond the arc.
UC held a 29-18 rebounding advantage and won despite committing 21 turnovers.
MUS shot 19-of-43 from the field, for 44.2 percent.
Top photo: Sophie Theobald
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