By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City stacked one quality sweep on top of another.
The Tornado teams recorded their second victory of the week against respected opposition on Friday, beating Class 3A Dyer County 71-59 in the girls’ game and 69-57 in the boys’ nightcap.
The triumphs came on the heels of a double victory vs. 2A Gibson County three nights earlier.
The three-ball was a big part of the Twisters’ arsenal in both games Friday. The UC girls made eight triples to win for the fifth time in six starts, while the boys connected 12 times to record their second victory after an 0-5 beginning to the season.
Blair McKinnis hit four times from outside the arc for the Lady Tornadoes on her way to a game-high 20 points, while the Union City boys spread the wealth with Ben Kail draining four treys, Jamarious Abbott and Zak Summers hitting three, and Kenny Moss connecting twice.
Union City will play the third of four consecutive home games at Marty Sisco Gymnasium on Tuesday night against Jackson Christian School.
UC 69, Dyer Co. 57 (B)
Continuing their early-season trend of playing hard from start to finish, the Tornadoes answered DC’s 10-0 start to the game with a 14-2 run to announce their presence. Kail and Abbott each dialed up long distance twice in that opening period.
Union City outscored the Choctaws 40-28 in the middle two quarters, turning a two-point deficit into a 10-point lead heading into the stretch run.
Moss and Summers dropped in a pair of bombs apiece in the third stanza, and Kwinton Purifoy converted twice from in close as the Tornadoes built a double-digit lead – one that grew to as much as 15 points (51-36) after Summers’ second trifecta.
The Twisters were up 56-46 with eight minutes to play. Three times, Dyer County got as close as seven in the final four minutes, but Finn Frankum scored from in front, and Abbott tallied to thwart any further comeback.
Kail’s 21 points led a trio of twin-figure scorers for the victors. Abbot finished with 17, and Summers totaled 14. Moss was a single point shy of that status.
UC 71, Dyer Co. 59 (G)
In addition to their perimeter success, the Lady Twisters made 19-of-22 free throws – including all 12 of their attempts in the fourth quarter.
Sh’Nyla Moss was 11-of-12 from the foul line, with makes on all eight of her charities in the final segment to cap a 19-point night. LaKiyah Gordon, Alli McMillan, and Kennedi Robinson were each perfect from the foul line.
UC took immediate control, scoring the game’s first six points and leading by as many as 15 (27-12) early in the second quarter after Gordon’s 3-pointer. The teams then traded flurries – the Lady Choctaws scoring 12 in a row to get within three, before the Twister girls answered with nine straight points, capped by McKinnis’ bucket. It was 37-25 at the intermission.
Debrionna Jones went to work inside in the third period, scoring nine of her 11 markers to help grow the difference to 54-38 late in the quarter. Moss’s high-arcing 3-pointer with 6:15 to play accounted for the biggest Union City lead of the night (61-43).
DC got no closer than nine the rest of the way, with foul shots from Gordon, Robinson, and Moss sealing the Lady Tornado triumph.
McKinnis finished with a double-double, adding 10 rebounds to her 20 points.