By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–It was everything it was predicted to be.
Another spectacular performance by Mr. Basketball finalist Malaki Brooks, multiple clutch shots and plays by Joseph Lattus and Ben Kail, and a bit of dramatic last-second good fortune combined to make for a magical night for Union City Thursday.
The end result was the 19th regional championship in the decorated history of the Tornado program and a home sectional game Monday against Booker T. Washington following second-ranked UC’s thrilling 70-68 victory over the No. 5 Vikings before a standing-room-only crowd at Dresden High School.
Brooks once more played a starring role for the Purple and Gold with an electrifying 40-point showcase that included eight 3-pointers despite constant double- and triple-teaming by H’boldt defenders. Lattus and Kail, too, were hugely instrumental in the Twisters’ 16th straight win – Lattus dropping in five triples on his way to 17 points, and Kail accounting for 10 markers and a number of other critical plays.
Union City (28-5) was additionally the benefactor of a little luck in the final seconds when Stephon Shivers’ would-be tying layup rolled around the rim and off the goal to set off a wild Tornado celebration and cap the battle of state-ranked Class A heavyweights in the much-anticipated clash.
“When you get to this time of the year, you have to have guys step up, and then you have to get a break or two along the way,” a jubilant UC head coach Shane Sisco said. “We told our kids two months ago that if we advanced like we wanted to and believed we could, it would be a collective group effort. That’s what it was tonight.
“Obviously, Malaki pulled the wagon with a spectacular performance. But Joe (Lattus) hit a number of big shots, as did Ben (Kail), who made several plays that might not show up on the stat sheet, but they were huge. (Jack) Tully’s numbers weren’t what they were on Tuesday, but he really battled their two big guys down low all night. C.J. (Davis) gave us a lot of good things, too, as did Finn (Frankum) with a couple of charges drawn.
“And we had a little bit of good fortune on that last play. But luck seems to follow you when you work hard and do things right.”
With an environment fitting the occasion and both teams feisty at times, the two gave each other their best shots the entire evening. They combined for 24 3-pointers, with Union City connecting 15 times.
H’boldt (22-9) – behind the trio of Kendrick Taylor, Jeffery Patterson, and Fred Moore, who teamed for all but two of their teams’ 34 points in the first half – led by as many as nine (30-21) with just under five minutes left before intermission.
The Twisters never blinked, however, closing the second quarter on a 16-4 run – taking a 37-34 lead after Brooks scored on a drive, then swiped a steal and converted a 3-point play with two-tenths of a second left before the break.
Brooks, who had a trio of treys in both the third and fourth quarters when he found the zone for 22 of his points, made three straight trifectas during the third frame when UC went up 51-45.
There were four lead changes and a tie in the final period before Lattus buried a 3-pointer, Brooks followed suit, and Lattus hit again from beyond the arc to help the Tornadoes open the first of three seven-point leads.
It was 70-63 after Kail converted inside with 2:36 to go before Humboldt made one last charge and got within the final count after a couple of Twister misses from the field and two more from the foul line.
“I was OK with taking those shots down the stretch. If we make either of those – and they were both good looks – it’s a double-digit lead,” Sisco said. “I felt we got a little passive in a similar situation in the Middleton game (semifinals), and I wanted us to stay aggressive.
“I was really proud that we didn’t blink at all after they shot so well early and put us in a hole. We were going to make them beat us with the 3-pointer, and they hadn’t shot as well as they did tonight in any game we’d seen beforehand. We didn’t let them destroy us on the glass, and our kids just continued to get out and guard them.”
Brooks was rightfully named the tourney’s Most Valuable Player in postgame ceremonies. He was joined on the All-Tournament team by Lattus and Tully.
The perk of hosting Monday’s sectional game – the 24th in program annals – is huge, according to Sisco, who anticipates the home environment will be a significant plus for his troops.
“Just to stay in a routine… for it to be a regular school day… and for us to hopefully have another big crowd to support us will be big for us,” he concluded. “Obviously, it’d give us a huge boost for our place to be packed and rocking, and our kids could feed off that for great energy.”
BTW will come into the contest with an 11-13 record after losing the Region 8A championship game to Middle College 44-38.