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Union City in position to take sectional shot

Union City in position to take sectional shot
Union City in position to take sectional shot
DRESDEN — Union City head coach Shane Sisco is right where he wants to be.
The Twisters are just one victory away from the substate portion of the postseason after a 66-53 triumph over Dresden on Friday evening.
“When the year started, this is the position we wanted to be in,” Sisco said after his team won its opening game in the Region 7A Tournament for the sixth straight year. “Regardless of our record, this is where we wanted to be.”
UC could earn a spot in the Region 7A championship game and sectional round with a victory over Humboldt. The Twisters play the No. 3 ranked Vikings on Tuesday at 6 p.m. on West Carroll’s floor.
“I think the big thing is that we’re down to a one-game series instead of a best of five or best of seven,” Sisco claimed when looking ahead to Tuesday’s contest against H’boldt. “We’re the underdogs going in, no doubt, but maybe, we can put it all on the table for one game and come away with a win.”
On Friday, Union City (15-18) certainly put it all on the line in the second half.
For starters, Tyler Steward led much of the offense charge as a ball-handler despite the fact that the UC senior has a torn ligament in his elbow.
Additionally, Antonio Cox drove to the basket on numerous occasions knowing a hard foul was inevitable and both LaMonte Dickerson and Peyton Mosley displayed great grit in loose ball situations.
Dickerson was also key in UC’s second half defensive scheme as he guarded Dresden’s leading scorer Daniel Harris, who had 18 points in the first two quarters.
In the second half, Harris was limited to 10 tallies.
“We showed a lot of heart tonight,” Sisco told. “Tonight, we made the plays that required extra effort.
“I think a lot of the credit could lie with Steward on how the other guys played. I think they realized how hard he’s been playing with an injury and decided to do just as much with their able bodies.”
After a see-saw battle through the first two and a half quarters that saw six lead changes and three ties, the Twisters began to pull away in the fourth quarter.
All totaled in the final frame, UC held the Lions (23-8) to just 11 free throws as the host team shot zero percent from the field.
Meanwhile, Cox had a heroic stretch during the fourth canto as he scored seven straight Union City points.
Included during that span was a desperation deuce that fell after the UC senior had run out of steps and was forced to take to the air and throw up an awkward looking shot, a trifecta and a easy bucket after a steal.
Cox could have possibly had an eighth straight point if not for a leg cramp as he was fouled on the final basket.
Chris Boucher came on in his relief and sank the freebie to put the Twisters up by eight 57-49.
From that point on, the Golden Tornadoes did their job, hitting 9-of-10 charity tosses in the final 2:11 to claim the triumph.
Cox finished with a team-best 18 points for Union City, while Mosley pitched in 15 from the inside and fellow post Russ Smith added a dozen.
Steward was a point shy of twin figures with nine.
Harris was the game’s leading scorer with 28 points.
Tyler McPeak had eight for the Lions, who claimed a district title for the first time in 21 years this season.
Sports reporter Kenneth Coker can be contacted by e-mail at kcoker@ucmessenger.com.