By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Playing without its head coach and one of its top two players, the Union City girls were not deterred.
Jada Williams accounted for half her team’s point total and the Lady Tornadoes forced 28 turnovers to win at Dresden 40-23 Tuesday night.
UC skipper Antawn Coby was away from the bench for the second time in less than two weeks due to a second family death during that time. The Twister girls were also minus the services of leading scorer Amari Bonds, who did not play due to an ankle injury suffered last week.
Still, Union City had more than enough to complete a season sweep of the Lady Lions.
A run of 10 unanswered points after Dresden had hit the game’s first bucket put UC up in the early going. The Lady Tornadoes then put together an 8-0 run to start the fourth to expand a 12-point lead to 37-17 – capped by a Kylie McCadney steal and bucket — with just over five minutes to play.
The Purple and Gold boys continued their perfect run through the district with their ninth consecutive wins in the nightcap, outclassing Dresden 66-53 in a contest that was not nearly as close as the final score might indicate.
Union City (13-6, 9-0 in 13A) exploded to a 32-6 lead in the first minute of the second period – fueled by a run of 19 unanswered points.
Carter Walton gave the Twisters their first double-digit lead (17-6) before the opening stanza was half over before freshman Malachi Brooks made a pair of deuces and then a 3-pointer to begin the second segment to make it 32-6.
Ben McMillan scored all 13 of his points in that opening eight minutes.
The remainder of the contest was a mere formality, though the Lions did cut what was once a 33-point deficit to 13 against Tornado reserves late in the fourth quarter.
Union City will put its lengthy winning streak on the line Friday in a boys’ only game against Class 3A Collierville. Both Tornado squads will plan another Triple-A foe, Dyersburg, in a Saturday night twinbill at Marty Sisco Gymnasium.
UC 40, Dresden 23 (G)
Williams, an Arkansas State signee, shouldered much of the offensive burden for the Twister girls with Bonds sidelined.
The Lady Tornado senior was effective both inside and outside the 3-point arc, sinking five buckets from in close and a trio of timely 3-pointers. The first of her two triples in the second period broke a four-minute scoring drought and the second came at the horn and stretched Union City’s lead to 23-15 at the intermission.
Sophie Theobald had back-to-back buckets in an otherwise slow third stanza that saw just eight points scored by both teams – the second coming on a coast-to-coast drive and expanding the difference to 29-17 entering the stretch run.
Williams, Marlee Theobald, Sophie Theobald and McCadney all scored in the first 2 ½ minutes of the final frame to blow the game open in UC’s favor.
Williams’ last points – an old-fashioned 3-point play – gave the Lady Tornadoes (8-9, 6-2) their largest lead (40-18) in the final minutes.
The Theobald sisters combined for 16 points in support of Williams, Sophie netting nine and Marlee seven.
UC 66, Dresden 53 (B)
The Tornadoes, who have won each of the District 13A games by double figures, overwhelmed the Lions from the opening tip.
Union City scored the game’s first six points, then kicked things in high gear with an up-tempo pace that included effective fullcourt defensive pressure.
The Twisters were comfortably ahead long before the halftime break, up 41-9 after buckets by Jackson Chism and AJ Blackman.
A season-high 13 players registered points for UC, led by McMillan and Brooks, who tallied 13 each.