By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–A slow start and shaky finish doomed the Union City girls.
The Lady Tornadoes went nearly five minutes without a field goal to open the game, then made just one shot from the field over the final four minutes after taking their first lead to fall 47-43 at East Hickman in the Region 6-2A quarterfinals Friday night.
It marked the second year in a row UC’s season ended at the hands of the Lady Eagles at this juncture and brought down the curtain on Twisters’ 2022-23 campaign with a 9-21 record. The contest was the last in a Tornado uniform for seniors Amari Bonds, Jamari Cox and Adaiysha Snow.
Union City grittily battled back from a rough beginning – one that saw them trail twice by double figures before the game was six minutes old – to grab a 40-39 lead on Bonds’ 3-point play with 4:15 to go.
The Purple and Gold went ice cold on the offensive end thereafter, though, managing just a Snow bucket while missing five times from the field and once from the line the rest of the way.
“We just couldn’t put the ball in the hole – especially at critical times,” UC head coach Antawn Coby said. “We had opportunities, and our girls did everything I asked them to do on the defensive end.
“We just couldn’t capitalize.”
The Twister girls gradually battled back into contention after falling behind 11-1 early. A Kennedi Robinson bucket in the first half’s final minute drew Union City within 23-22 at the intermission.
Fullcourt pressure helped the Purple and Gold remain close and fight through some shaky offensive possessions while gradually wearing down the host team that dressed just eight players.
And UC also gradually inched its way closer with point contributions from players other than Bonds, who was held largely in check and didn’t make her first field goal until the third quarter. Snow had eight of her team-high 14 markers in the first half, while Debrionna Jones and Ada Rogers scored twice apiece.
The first of two 3-point plays in the fourth quarter by Bonds forged a 35-all tie with 7:02 left, and her two free throws two minutes later gave the Twisters their first lead. After Bonds converted her second ‘and-one’ to make it 40-39, East Hickman’s Braylee Clark made her only bucket of the contest to put the Lady Eagles in front for good with 3:12 showing.
“We knew we’d face some sort of junk defense against Amari, and I couldn’t be more proud of the rest of the girls for the way they stepped up and helped out on the offensive end. It’s what I’ve been preaching to them all year. I had great confidence in them,” Coby added.
“Defensively, we saw on film where they might struggle against pressure, and they did. We wanted to make their turnovers turn into transition opportunities for us, and we did that at times. We were just trying to manufacture some offense.”
Bonds, who recently committed to UT Martin, finished her spectacular prep career with 12 markers and 2,161 all-time points to rank second in the history of Lady Tornado scoring behind Deedy Thomason’s 2,221.
She drew praise from her coach, as did fellow seniors Cox and Snow.
“Amari will obviously be tough to replace with what she’s done for our program over four years,” Coby said. “She didn’t have the type of night tonight that she’d had so many times before, but she’s a huge reason why we got this far. I look forward to watching her on the next level.
“Jamari (Cox) was a great teammate to everyone, and she brought a positive attitude every day. She gave it her all each game – whether she played 15 minutes or two minutes. And Adaiysha improved by leaps and bounds from where she started in this program. She became an excellent shooter and our number-two scoring option this year.
“They each will be missed.”
East Hickman, which edged UC 53-51 in last year’s regional quarters, improved to 21-9 in advancing to a semifinal game Monday against No. 1 ranked Westview.