The Union City boys are headed to the Class 1A Sectionals for the fourth time in the past five years.
Led by a career-high 19 points, eight rebounds, and five blocked shots from Jack Tully, the second-ranked (27-5) Golden Tornadoes beat Middleton 56-36 in Tuesday’s Region 7A semifinals at UT Martin.
Before facing a team from Memphis next Monday night, Union City, winners of 15 games in a row, will play longtime rival Humboldt (22-8) for the regional championship Thursday at 7:00 at Dresden High School.
Also at stake at that contest is a host role in Monday’s sectional contest, with the loser forced to travel to Shelby County.
It will mark the 24th all-time appearance in the sectional/substate round for the tradition-rich Purple and Gold boys’ program.
The Twisters built a double-figure advantage in the first 5 ½ minutes of Tuesday’s game and never led by fewer than 10 points after the first quarter while guaranteeing themselves at least two more games.
Tully was an unexpected hero, his best-ever all-around performance coming at the most opportune time for his team.
The 6-5 senior scored 13 of his points in the second half, punctuating his memorable effort with a dunk at the three-minute mark that gave Union City a 52-34 lead.
Tully was ultra-active around the goal all night, using his size advantage and soft touch to give the Tornadoes a distinct advantage in the paint.
His coach, Shane Sisco, couldn’t hide his smile afterward.
“What a time to have your best-ever game,” Sisco said of Tully’s play. “It couldn’t have happened to a better kid. He’s sometimes been pushed to the back of the line this year because of the style we’ve played, but he’s never been sullen, and he never pouted. He just continued to come to work every day. He is so deserving of this kind of game in such a big moment.”
As has been typical during the season, Union City got off to a strong start – this time on the defensive end when it stymied the Tigers to just one field goal over the first seven minutes. The Twisters forced turnovers on Middleton’s first three possessions and 11 total in the opening half. For the game, Middleton shot just over 30 percent.
“We stressed a good start, and that began with constant pressure,” Sisco added. “Our biggest concern was when they did shoot it, how could we clean up the glass? I thought we did a heck of a job keeping them off the offensive boards. Our zone – even though we haven’t played it much – was good, and we communicated well.”
Malaki Brooks, despite facing constant double-teams, had eight of his 15-first-half points in the opening frame and then totaled seven more in the second stanza. Brooks suffered a bloody nose late in the third period and sat out several minutes before finishing with 18 markers.
Defensive specialist Finn Frankum was at his best in the second quarter, drawing three charges to help Union City to a 31-19 intermission edge.
Tully scored nine points with four field goals and an ‘and-one’ in the third canto, and Ben Kail bottomed 3-pointers in the third and fourth periods to keep the Tornadoes safely ahead. Kail, who finished with 10 points to give the winners three double-digit scorers, also rejected a pair of Middleton shots, and Joseph Lattus had a block in the final eight minutes to keep the Tigers from mounting a serious threat.
“With all the attention they paid Malaki defensively, we had several other kids step up and contribute on the offensive end,” Sisco concluded. “He (Brooks) does such a good job of sharing the ball, and he has confidence in his teammates because they’ve come through in big spots all year.
“I think the big thing now is we can relax and play on Thursday, knowing we will play again on Monday. We’ll need the same type of approach we’ve had the last two weeks. It would obviously be great to win Thursday and get a home game for the sectionals. That would be a tremendous advantage for us because of our crowd. They really showed up tonight, and our guys are tremendously appreciative.”
Middleton finished its season with a 19-8 record.
(photos and story – Mike Hutchens – School Communications Director)
