By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–The Union City boys will play in the championship game of the I Have A Future Classic at Pearl-Cohn High School on Friday, while the Tornado girls will be involved in a semifinal game at the Lady Trojan Classic in Dyersburg.
The Twister boys won their first two games in Nashville, beating Knowledge Academies 58-44 on Wednesday, then topping Marshall County 67-60 Thursday in the semis to run their winning streak to four games and improve to 12-4. UC will play in Friday’s championship game at 4 p.m.
Union City’s girls avenged an earlier nine-point loss to JCS with a 54-46 victory in Thursday’s rematch.
Winners in three straight now, the Lady Tornadoes (6-8) will play Peabody in the semifinals of the D’burg event at 6 p.m.
Ben Kail was huge for the UC boys Wednesday vs. KA, dropping in eight 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 26 markers. Kail bottomed four of his treys in the second period, fueling a Twister surge that expanded a slim 12-10 lead to 33-21 at the intermission.
It was 41-31 after three periods.
Malaki Brooks added 16 points to the winning cause and was the only other Union City player in double figures.
On Thursday, Brooks erupted for his eighth 30-point game of the season against MC, hitting for a game-best 37. The senior scoring machine drained six of the Tornadoes’ 13 3-point shots and made 10-of-12 free throws in the fourth quarter when UC held off a Marshall County charge.
Joseph Lattus knocked down five triples – two in both the first and third frames – and finished with 17 points. Kail finished a deuce shy of twin digits with eight.
Union City led 17-11 at the first-quarter horn and 31-25 at the intermission.
The Tornado girls got a game-high 21 points from Debrionna Jones to continue their recent solid play.
Behind 24-22 at the half, the Lady Twisters outscored JCS 32-22 over the final two frames, with Jones hitting for 13 of her total in the second half.
Sh’Nyla Moss had 11 points, with sister Aujani sinking a trio of 3-pointers and finishing with nine markers.