By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City’s 39-35 win over ninth-ranked Greenfield in the District 14A semifinals Saturday paid double dividends for the Lady Tornadoes.
In addition to a spot in Tuesday’s tournament championship game, UC also secured a critical home game in the first round of the regional tournament next Friday night.
First, though, the Twister girls will face top-seeded Dresden Tuesday night at 7:30 at Bethel University, looking for the program’s first district tourney title since the unbeaten state championship team won at every level in the 2013-14 season.
Union City will bring a 21-9 record into Tuesday’s title tilt, while Dresden is 20-7.
No strangers to each other, the Lady Tornadoes and Greenfield played for the seventh time in the past two seasons Saturday at BU and produced easily the most competitive of three meetings this year. Each had won on their home court by convincing double-digit margins during the regular season.
Neither team led by more than six points in the hotly-contested matchup with UC pulling in front for good on Sh’Nyla Moss’s pullup jumper (36-35) with 2:43 to play. Points were at a premium the rest of the way, and the Twister girls locked up the Lady ‘Jackets on the defensive end, forcing three misses and a critical turnover while holding G’field (22-6) without a bucket.
Debrionna Jones, who had a monster game inside on both ends with 11 points, 10-plus rebounds, and a handful of blocked shots, tacked on a deuce to expand Union City’s lead to 38-35 with 1:20 left. The second of two Blair McKinnis two free throws at the two-second mark sealed the deal for the Purple and Gold.
“I don’t know if we win this type of game last season,” a smiling UC head coach Mason Storey said afterward. “We lost several similar to this last year when we just couldn’t make a play on one end or the other. This year, we’ve been able to scratch out some wins in some close games, and I think that gave us confidence tonight.
“Obviously, locking up the home region game next week is something huge. I feel like we have a big advantage at home, and we haven’t had one of those (home region games) in a while. It feels good to already have that in our pocket going into Tuesday night.”
UC received big efforts from several players other than Jones on Saturday.
McKinnis, showcasing her trademark grit and toughness on both ends, finished with 10 points and made several “hustle” plays. Moss dictated the pace offensively and defensively and finished with a team-high 13 points to lead a trio of double-figure scorers.
And Uriah Davis did her usual solid job defensively, using her length to make a difference while contesting many Greenfield passes and shots.
“Debrionna did a great job protecting the basket on the defensive end,” Storey said of Jones. “She kept people out of the lane, altered shots, and simply owned the boards at times. And she was super-aggressive and made a huge shot that gave us a 3-point lead late.
“I thought Blair (McKinnis) stepped up and gave us some points at critical times and again wasn’t afraid to mix it up on both ends. Sh’Nyla (Moss) just did her thing on both ends, and I was really pleased with how she protected the basketball.”
Union City trailed by as many as five points in the opening quarter before Jones’ old-fashioned 3-point play finally put the Lady Twisters ahead (20-19) with 2:38 left before halftime. A Moss steal and subsequent bucket kept the Tornadoes ahead at the break, 24-22.
Deuces by McKinnis, Jones, and Moss gave UC its biggest lead, 30-24, halfway through the third stanza.
Moss’s aforementioned 12-footer represented the last of four lead changes in the fourth quarter and gave her team an advantage it would not lose.
Greenfield was led by 8th-grader Ella Porter, who had 15 of her 17 points in the first half.
The Lady Jackets will play Gleason in the consolation game Tuesday at 6 p.m.