By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Union City was simply too strong for Gleason.
The Tornado teams each flexed their muscles in carbon copy blowouts over the Bulldogs Tuesday, UC winning the girls’ game 56-24 before rolling to a 78-48 victory in Game 2.
The Twister boys (9-11, 4-0) won for the fourth straight time – all by double figures – and now hold a two-game lead in the updated District 14A standings. Union City’s girls triumphed for the third consecutive outing and stand at 14-7 overall and 3-1 and tied for second place in the league.
Waves of physical fullcourt pressure by the two UC teams methodically wore down their outmanned competition on Tuesday.
The Lady Tornadoes outscored a youthful Gleason squad 29-11 in the second half to build on a 14-point intermission advantage, while the Union City boys forced 19 of the Bulldogs’ 27 turnovers in the second half to impose their will.
UC’s 1-2 girls’ punch of Sh’Nyla Moss (20) and Debrionna Jones (15) combined for 35 points in the opener. Ben Kail, who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career in the Twisters’ last game against Lake County, led a trio of double-figure scorers with 18 points for the Purple and Gold in the nightcap.
Union City hosts Greenfield on Friday for Homecoming.
GIRLS
UC 56, Gleason 24
Ahead just 9-8 after a non-descript opening quarter, the Twister girls spurted with a 15-3 run to end the first half and build a 27-13 intermission advantage.
Uriah Davis and Blair McKinnis each tallied twice during UC’s surge before Moss capped the flurry with a 35-footer at the buzzer after scoring a deuce just 10 seconds earlier.
Moss had two more buckets to ignite a 12-2 opening of the second half. A pair of baskets by LaRiyah Gordon and another by freshman Ainsley Sadler in the late going helped the Lady Tornadoes reach the mercy-rule margin.
Davis added seven points to the winning cause, and McKinnis tacked on six.
BOYS
UC 78, Gleason 48
Winners of six of their last seven, the Tornadoes mixed good ball movement on both the perimeter and inside with stepped-up intensity on the defensive end to bury Gleason, which fell to 11-8 and 2-2, respectively.
UC made 10 3-pointers, with Kail and Jamarious Abbott (11 points) hitting two apiece. Union City also got 11 points in the paint from Kwinton Purifoy and another nine from versatile Finn Frankum in a truly balanced attack.
The Twisters’ relentless pressure was the key component in taking the fight out of the Bulldogs. Union City outscored the visitors 41-18 over the final two periods, creating many offensive opportunities for themselves via forced floor mistakes.
Frankum knocked down a pair of treys and then had a nice assist to Zak Summers for a deuce to help the Tornadoes to their first double-digit lead in the second frame. An 18-2 explosion, started by six points from Kail and ending with two Purifoy hoops, completed the blowout halfway through the final stanza.