The Rockets Shoot Down the Rebels
In a US 36 rivalry game two Randolph County teams duked it out in Modoc. Randolph Southern and Union proved to be two pretty evenly matched teams. Tonight though, Union claimed victory in one of the final games of the regular season by a score of 75-68.
In the first quarter, Randolph Southern came out on fire with an offensive onslaught, out scoring Union 21-9. Junior guard Austin Pearson for the Rebels was able to get in behind the zone Union for some easy points. Senior guard Blake Welsh also helped stir the Rebel offense. The Rockets struggled in the first quarter, the shots weren’t falling and the defense wasn’t helping much.
The Rockets never gave up, and kicked it up a notch in the second quarter. Junior Guard Connor Shore put up 7 points in the second half, as did sophomore guards Willie Eviston and Tanner Cates. This balanced scoring from the Rockets propelled them in front of the Rebels at the half, 35-33.
Union was able to keep up the offensive effort in the second half, while Randolph Southern could not stay out of foul trouble. Two Southern players fouled out in the final minutes of the game. Tanner Cates was perfect at the line. Blake Welch was the leading scorer for the Rebels, and Cates lead in scoring for the Rockets with 21 points, 5 of those being three pointers.
The Rockets hope to meet up with Monroe Central to avenge their earlier season loss. Union plays the winner of the Monroe Central – Blue River matchup in the sectional semifinals next Friday night. According to senior Trent Gulley, the goal is to contain Logan Thomas, and to stop him from driving the middle of the lane. Tonight was Senior Night where Union Seniors Trent Gulley and Brock Meese were recognized for their dedication to the team.
  | Waphahani Raids Union of a Victory Wapahani started four freshmen in this game, and were overall a bigger team. They played tough man-to-man defense, and kept Union’s bigs from being a major factor in the game. The Raiders led the entire first half and were led in scoring by freshman center Jacob Foster with 13 points in the first half. Union was lacking on the boards, and the shots weren’t falling in the first half. Union was down 31-23 at halftime.
Union started to come alive in the 2nd half. Willie Eviston, a sophomore guard for the Rockets, utilized his speed in scoring 23 points on the evening, scoring 15 in the second half. A majority of Eviston’s points came from penetrating to the basket. Although the Rockets were playing with 5 guards, they took the lead with almost 4 minutes to go. The lead slowly slipped out of their grasp however from that point on.
Freshmen center Foster ended the night with 19 points, and freshman guard Grant Evans also added 20. This ultimately led to the Rockets destruction. The Rockets will play again next Saturday at Muncie Southside. |
The Rockets Take the Cards to New Heights
The Union Rockets, boys and girls varsity, squared up against the Seton Catholic Cardinals on Tuesday night in a double header full of action. Both Rocket teams came out victorious. The Lady Rockets dominated Seton by a score of 56-15. The boys followed up with a victory of their own in a hard fought battle with the final score being 52-47.
The Lady Rockets set the night up with an impassioned performance against the Lady Cardinals. Senior foreward Marie Lumpkin, a 5’10 senior, led the team with 15 points, which was equivalent to the final score of the Lady Cardinals. Senior forward Myranda Gideon also tallied 8 points, and senior guard Shannon Moreland, who may have struggled behind the arc only scoring one of five, had impressive setup passes throughout the game. The key for the Rockets was strong play underneath the basket. They took control of the boards, and fed the ball inside to score a majority of their points against the Cardinal zone defense.
After the Lady Rockets suppressed the Cardinals, the boys took to the court. Seton and Union proved to be two pretty evenly matched teams, however, the first quarter was all Seton Catholic. Evan Schroeder, a 5’9 senior for Seton, knocked down 3 shots for 7 points in the first quarter alone.
The second quarter was a completely different story. Seton came out cold, making only 2 shots out of 8 attempts, both of those by Schroeder. Union, on the other hand, came out on fire. They methodically tore the Seton zone defense apart, forcing them to switch to a man-to-man. Trent Gulley put up 8 points, while Dylan Reichley added 7. Union was able to establish a mismatch under the basket when Seton’s big man Jourdan Brouse was taken out due to foul trouble. This allowed Gulley to dominate the action within the paint, and essentially take control of the game.
Union surpassed the Cardinals at half time by the score of 29-23, and didn’t look back. They continued their composed and patient offense, and whole keeping the slightly wild Seton offense off the boards in the second half. Seton pulled within 1 at the end of the third, but that was as close as they would get. Union proved that they could hit the important free throws in the clutch, and Trent Gulley really stepped up for the Rockets with a total of 13 points, followed by Willie Eviston with 11. The Rockets improve their record to 4 and 8 on the season, and the Cardinals fell to 3 and 11.
