By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Survive and advance is the postseason theme of all basketball teams.
Union City did both in Monday night’s opening round of the District 12-AA Girls Tournament.
The Lady Tornadoes overcame a shaky performance in beating Milan 49-35 to guarantee themselves at least three more postseason games this season.
Ada Rogers sank a trio of 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 13 points to help UC move on to Thursday’s 6 p.m. tourney semifinals against No. 1 ranked and reigning state champion Westview on the Lady Chargers’ homecourt.
The Twister girls will then play in either the championship or consolation game of the district Saturday night before moving on to next week’s Region 6-AA event.
Having beaten Milan handily in two earlier meetings, UC (9-18) was unable to overwhelm the Lady Bulldogs (5-19) for a third time this season.
In fact, Milan was within 27-25 following a Kaidence Morton free throw with 2:24 left in the third quarter.
Rogers knocked down the last of her triples on the Lady Tornadoes’ next possession, though, and Amari Bonds converted an old-fashioned 3-point play just before the end of the period to extend the lead to 35-26.
Adaiysha Snow and Bonds made 3-pointers in the final frame to build the difference to double digits, and Union City was not threatened the rest of the way.
Bonds ended up with 14 points, going over 2,100 for her decorated career with a free throw early in the second stanza. She now has 2,111 all-time markers – 110 behind Deedy Thomason for the school record.
The Lady Tornadoes played the contest without steady veteran guard Marlee Theobald, who missed the game with a concussion, suffered last Thursday against Westview. Theobald will also miss this Thursday’s game due to the injury.
Her presence was certainly felt as UC’s turnover numbers piled up in the early going while the Twisters managed just a single Rogers field goal in the opening frame that ended with the visitors up 4-2.
Union City did find a bit of offensive rhythm in the second frame, running off 11 unanswered points that included made 3-pointers by Rogers and Bonds. The Lady Tornadoes saw their 16-6 lead midway through the quarter cut to 22-17 at the intermission, though.
Snow scored 12 points to join Bonds and Rogers in double digits for the winners.
Morton tallied 13 and Ashley Williamson had 11 for the Lady Bulldogs.