By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Union City’s road to Murfreesboro and a potential Class 1A state tournament trip will detour through Memphis.
Top ranked Madison Academic Magnet School sent the eighth-ranked Golden Tornadoes on the road for a Monday night sectional game by beating UC 52-37 Thursday for the Region 7A championship.
The loss and overall performance – though disappointing – is not the end of the line for the Purple and Gold as Union City (21-8) will play at MASE (Memphis Academy for Science and Engineering) for a berth in the state tourney Monday at 7 p.m. The Memphis school, one of just three to play in Single-A this season due to the COVID-19 outbreak, reportedly will come in with a 3-3 record.
Ticket information will be announced over the weekend.
Coming off easily their best and most complete performance of the season in a Tuesday blowout of Humboldt, UC hardly resembled that squad against the No. 1 Mustangs.
MAM (25-2) won its 20th straight outing and avenged a one-point loss in last year’s regional finals by essentially outplaying the Twisters in all facets of the contest.
The Jackson squad especially was dominant on the glass, outrebounding Union City 27-16 overall, including by a stunning 16-2 margin in the second half. The visitors also used their supreme quickness to force the Tornadoes into 26 percent shooting (4-for-15) from 3-point land and 42 percent overall.
“The team that defended the best and shot the ball the best won,” UC head coach Shane Sisco said afterward. “We didn’t execute very well, and they were the better team for 32 minutes tonight.
“We didn’t defend the 3-point line like I’d hoped we would. They made eight 3-pointers, and when you figure those points with their free throws, 36 of their 52 points came from those two areas.”
The final stats supported Sisco’s claim as the Mustangs hit 5-of-11 from behind in the arc in the first half and 8-of-20 total. MAM also created several second- and third chances for itself with seven offensive rebounds in the third period alone, stretching its lead to 38-24 at quarter’s end.
The Tornadoes, meanwhile, never found any semblance of offensive rhythm nor the shooting touch they exhibited two nights earlier in an impressive romp against H’boldt.
Union City’s last lead in the first quarter came when Taylan Tribble sank a 3-pointer to make it 11-8 with a little under two minutes left in the canto. The Twisters managed just 13 points combined over the next two frames, trailing 21-17 at the half.
Mr. Basketball finalist Walter Peggs and Christian Ballard combined for all but two of the visitors’ points before the intermission.
Critical to the Tornadoes’ chances was foul trouble incurred by Neil Brown, who scored six of his team’s first eight points inside but picked up his third personal at the 6:11 mark of the second period.
A critical stretch in the third segment came when Ballard, who led Madison with 18 points, buried back-to-back triples to turn a four-point difference into a 29-19 Mustang lead at the midway point of the stanza.
Down 38-24 heading into the stretch run, UC could get no closer than 41-33 at the 3:25 mark when Ben McMillan sank a 3-pointer.
The final score represented the game’s largest margin.
“Defensively, I thought we did some good things in the first half,” Sisco added. “We had five turnovers there in the second quarter though that kept us from getting anything done on the offensive end.
“And the back-to-back possessions there in the third quarter when Ballard hit the two threes was just a killer.”
McMillan was the lone Union City player in double figures, finishing with 14 points. He was joined on the all-tournament team by teammate AJ Blackman.
Peggs joined Ballard in twin digits for Madison with 16 points, with both making the all-tourney team.
The Mustangs will host MAHS (Memphis Academy of Health Sciences) Monday in their sectional game.