By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–A signature win for the Union City girls and the first victory of the season for the Tornado boys made for a perfect night of basketball for the Purple and Gold.
UC’s girls posted undoubtedly their most impressive win of the young season, knocking off reigning Class 2A state champion Gibson County 59-57 in an opening-game thriller at Marty Sisco Gymnasium.
Blair McKinnis dropped in the game-winning bucket for the Lady Twisters with four seconds left, capping a wild finish that saw Union City (4-1) squander a 17-point first-half lead before rallying themselves to beat the tradition-rich Lady Pioneers.
Debrionna Jones (19 points, 10 rebounds) came up huge down when it counted most for the Tornado girls, scoring a tying hoop and two free throws that put her team ahead 57-55 in the frantic final seconds.
The UC boys got a spectacular 42-point performance from Ben Kail and held off a late Pioneer rally to break into the victory column after five losses, 68-65.
Kail was magnificent in the first half, draining six of his eight 3-pointers on his way to a 28-point outburst to help the Twisters to a 42-28 intermission advantage.
Things got interesting down the stretch as GC closed to within a single deuce twice in the final minute before Kail knocked down a pair of charities, and DeAngelo Monroe made a free throw to help UC hang on.
Union City will play at home again on Friday against Dyer County. Saturday’s scheduled game at Milan has been postponed due to the Bulldogs’ participation in the Class 2A state football championship.
UC 59, Gibson Co. 57 (G)
The Lady Tornadoes put on a defensive clinic in the first half, limiting GC to just four field goals in the first 16 minutes with continuous waves of pressure. Union City led 27-10 at one point, getting offensive contributions from Jones on the inside and Sh’Nyla Moss and Kennedi Robinson, who took turns slashing to the bucket and hitting from the perimeter.
The difference was reduced to 39-29 after three quarters as UC suffered ballhandling woes (13 second-half turnovers) and the Pioneer girls (4-3) began to heat up. Moss made a handful of twisting shots while charging the bucket, but Gibson County’s dead-eye accuracy at the foul line (21-of-23) allowed the visitors to gradually cut further into the deficit in the final frame.
Kailey Davidson made a pair of well-timed treys to give the Lady Pioneers their first lead at 55-53 with 1:37 to play after Union City had missed four straight from the foul line.
Jones then evened things up with a power move inside and sank two free throws with 19.3 showing to put her team back in front. A driving bucket by GC’s Akira Riding at the 10-second mark forged another deadlock before McKinnis muscled her way for the deciding hoop in the paint.
Moss (17 points) and McKinnis, who bottomed a trio of 3-pointers on her way to 13 markers, joined Jones in double figures. Uriah Davis hauled down eight rebounds, second only to Jones for the Lady Twisters.
UC 68, Gibson Co. 65 (B)
Much like their girl counterparts, the Tornado boys were most impressive early in the nightcap.
UC drained seven of its 13 3-pointers in the opening frame to zoom to a 27-10 lead in easily its best offensive quarter of the young season. Jamarious Abbott, Kenny Moss, Zak Summers, and DeAngelo Monroe joined Kail in the trey parade during that impressive opening stretch.
Kail lit it up three more times from downtown while scoring all 15 of his team’s points in the second stanza, helping the Twisters to a 42-28 halftime lead.
Gibson County (2-4) slowly chipped away though, getting within nine (55-46) with eight minutes to play before then making a serious charge in the final moments. Summers had a key layup at the 59-second mark to help Union City stave off the challenge, and Moss sank a foul shot 20 seconds later as the Tornadoes hit all five of their made-charities in the fourth quarter.
Kail ended up with eight triples and eight 2-point buckets and made 2-of-3 from the free throw line to post his career-high point total. No other UC player scored in double figures, though Abbott was just a deuce shy of that mark.