By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–It was not the start Union City had hoped for.
Visiting Crockett County spoiled the opening of the 2022-23 basketball season for the Tornadoes, sweeping UC in contrasting fashion Tuesday night at Marty Sisco Gymnasium.
The Cavaliers sank a deciding 3-pointer with 21 seconds to play, then blocked a Twister game-winning attempt just before the horn to escape with a 58-57 triumph in a thrilling boys’ nightcap.
Neither team led by more than eight points, and the contest was tied at halftime (25-all) and after three periods (40-apiece) before CC nipped the Purple and Gold at the buzzer.
Before that, Crockett County used a surge of 12 unanswered points in the second period to take the lead and went on to sink 11 3-pointers in a 67-46 triumph in the girls’ game.
Union City will play a second Hall of Champions twinbill Saturday night, visiting Covington.
Crockett Co. 58, UC 57 (B)
The Tornadoes played hard enough and well enough to win but were done in by a lack of execution in the final minute.
UC had taken a 57-55 lead with less than a minute to play when Malaki Brooks came up with a steal and converted a driving 3-point play.
CC answered, though, draining the deciding shot from out front against a late defensive rotation. The Cavs then stuffed an attempted answer by C.J. Davis, who stumbled out of an out-of-bounds play just before the final horn.
The Twisters enjoyed the game’s biggest lead in the early going after Brooks made a pair of triples and two free throws as part of a 10-2 run to open the contest.
Crockett roared back with nine straight of its own to briefly go in front before Brooks and Joseph Lattus connected from beyond the arc to give Union City a five-point lead halfway through the second stanza.
Down 35-31 in the third frame, the Tornadoes reeled off nine consecutive points – capped by a Lattus triple – to go up 40-35 at 2:32 of the quarter.
The teams were never separated by more than four points down the stretch.
Brooks led a trio of double-digit scorers for UC with 19 points. Lattus hit for 15 and D.J. Robinson scored 13.
Crockett Co. 67, UC 46 (G)
The Lady Tornadoes eased to a 15-9 first-quarter lead before the hot-shooting CC girls caught fire.
A Marlee Theobald bucket and then seven straight points by Amari Bonds lifted Union City to its biggest lead of the night.
Crockett County – which made five 3-pointers in the first half and six more after the intermission – ran off a dozen points in succession to take a lead it would not lose in the second frame.
While CC was heating up, UC went cold as the Twister girls did not make a second-quarter field goal while being outscored 18-4.
A pair of Adaiysha Snow trifectas and another by Bonds early in the third stanza got Union City back on track offensively, but the visitors still outscored the Lady Tornadoes 24-16 in the period for a 51-35 advantage.
Crockett led by as many as 28 points in the late-going before 3-pointers by Clare Atwill and Jamari Cox accounted for the final margin.
Bonds finished with 19 points to pace UC. Snow chipped in with nine.
Tip-off for Saturday night’s first game at Covington is slated for 6 p.m.