By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Union City’s boys bookended a fast start and a solid finish to dispatch Dresden 64-44 Tuesday night at Marty Sisco Gymnasium.
The Tornadoes led by 10 points after five minutes, by 20 at halftime, then ran off 13 consecutive points in the fourth quarter after the Lions had briefly crept to within eight to run their record to 7-11 overall and win for the second time in as many District 14A games.
UC forced a whopping 33 Dresden turnovers and got balanced scoring led by Jamarious Abbott (11 points) and Kenny Moss (10) while controlling the entire contest.
The Union City girls, meanwhile, failed to close out the Lady Lions down the stretch after leading by double figures to open the fourth quarter in dropping a tough 59-57 overtime decision in the opener.
Allie Spaulding (30 points) led Dresden’s comeback, and the Twister girls were haunted by a costly technical foul with just over a minute to play in the extra session that erased a three-point lead.
Blair McKinnis had given UC a 57-54 advantage with a triple at 1:38 of OT before the Lady Lions made 3-of-4 foul shots to even things up following the technical. A cutting Haylee Jarred slashed to the bucket for the game-winning basket with 16 ticks to play before a last-second heave by Sh’Nyla Moss was off the mark for Union City, which fell to 11-7 overall and 1-1 in league play.
The Tornado teams will hit the road for more district action Friday night with a doubleheader at Lake County.
BOYS
UC 64, Dresden 44
Abbott quickly got the Twisters on the board with one of the team’s four first-quarter trifectas in the first nine seconds of the game, then drained a pair of treys in the fourth period after Dresden (7-9, 0-2) briefly threatened.
Freshman Kobe Maddox knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers in the opening frame to give Union City a twin-digit lead, and Zak Summers hit from beyond the arc to help the Tornadoes to a 22-8 lead after the first eight minutes.
Moss and Kwinton Purifoy scored two times apiece inside in the second frame to help build the difference to 34-14 at the intermission.
UC’s constant end-to-end pressure – which produced 26 points off the aforementioned 30-plus Dresden turnovers – fueled its late flurry, too. The Twisters enjoyed their biggest lead (22 points) with just over two minutes left before reserves finished off the victory.
Ben Kail added nine points, and Purifoy tacked on eight in the Tornadoes’ balanced scoring effort.
GIRLS
Dresden 59, UC 57 (OT)
Union City, showing a better shooting touch than in recent games with six 3-pointers over the first three quarters, seemed firmly in control with a 46-34 lead heading into the stretch run.
But the Lady Lions (13-4, 2-0) – propelled by Spaulding — roared back by scoring 11 of the next 12 points to get within 47-45 with still five minutes to play.
Moss nailed a huge 3-pointer to briefly halt Dresden’s momentum and got a floater in the lane to go down to put UC up 52-49 with 2:08 showing.
Dresden then scored five in a row to take a 54-52 lead before the Lady Tornadoes’ Uriah Davis converted off an inbounds feed under the basket with 19 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
Costly turnovers in the OT were particularly damaging to Union City’s hopes prior to the hectic final 66 seconds.
Moss led the Lady Tornadoes with 19 markers, including a pair of 3-pointers. McKinnis, Kennedi Robinson, and Alli McMillan each also hit twice from beyond the arc, McKinnis finishing with nine, while Robinson, McMillan, and Davis all had eight points total.