Panthers pulverize Pickens
Union starts new year with two big wins

Austin Collins drops in two of his 14 points against Pickens County.

Union 78 - Pickens 42

Coming into the season it was a poorly kept secret that the Panthers were going to have a good chance to win in each game they played. There was also an understanding that in some of those games, they had the talent to run the other team out of the building. That happened for the second time in as many games Saturday night, as the Panthers defeated the Pickens County Dragons 78-42.

"The big thing was the overall defensive intensity," said Head Coach Tim Hunter. The coach said that the Panthers were able to limit Pickens main scorer, who tallied 32 against Fannin, to a mere 7 points. "When I took Austin [Collins] out of the game [Pickens top scorer] thought he had a break, but here comes Cody Adams just busting it defending him," said Coach Hunter.

Michael Ross set the tone for the game early as he hit a quick threepointer to give his team the lead on the first possession of the game. Ross immediately made his presence felt on the other end of the floor as well, coming up with a takeaway after blocking his man's shot. The Panthers built a 17- 11 lead by the end of the first period.

Above: Cody Adams slices between two defenders.

In the second quarter Ryan Burks helped the Panthers pick up where they left off by burying his first field goal. The Panthers extended the lead to double digits at 26-15 after another trey by Ross. "We made a huge run in the second quarter and Ross had a lot of baskets then, as did Taylor Neely," said Coach Hunter. The Panthers continued to push the advantage, going into the half with a 38-20 lead.

Union County wasted no time blowing the game open in the third quarter, as Corey Garrett extended the lead to 20 points by scoring the first bucket of the second half. Garrett later upped the lead past 30 with a layup and freethrow that widened the gap to 59-28. "That was where we really started stretching it out," said Coach Hunter. "Austin, Corey, and Ross all had big quarters there." The fourth quarter was shortened due to the mercy rule, but even after the starters had left the floor, the advantage continued to climb, going as high as 40 points during the period.

Left: Matt Schmidt shoots over a pair of Dragons.

Ross led all scorers with 23 points while Collins added 14, Garrett scored 12, and Neely had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Panthers bench contributed their share as Cody Adams scored 5, Matthew McCombs and Ryan Burks each had 4, and Matt Schmidt, Caleb Kelley, and Kody Owenby each had 2.

Union 83 - Murphy 46

The Panthers kicked off the new year with a win over the Murphy Bulldogs, defeating them for the second time this year. While the first meeting was a tight matchup that left the Panthers with a narrow seven point win, 52-45, the Panthers won this game in convincing fashion, 83-46.

Union County jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead but the Bulldogs battled back, closing within two points. Union took the first quarter 19-15, but the Bulldogs tied the game in the second period before Michael Ross sparked a big scoring streak.

"It was tight in the first quarter," said Coach Hunter. "The second quarter we made a pretty good run on them and went into halftime with a 14 point league. Michael Ross played good especially in the second and third quarter, he was a big part of the big run we had."

Right: Matthew McCombs makes the layup. Below: Michael Ross hits the 3-pointer.

The Panthers outscored the Bulldogs 15-2 in the latter part of the quarter, taking a 39-25 lead into the break.

In the third quarter Murphy attempted to get back in the game, but the Panthers put them away in the final frame. "We kind of slopped around and let the lead get back to 12 or 14 but we put together a big run at the end of the game," said Coach Hunter. "It was just a matter of finally getting that big run sustained and once we started doing that it seemed like we couldn't do anything wrong. "

The Panthers had four scorers in double figures as Corey Garrett finished with 17 points. Michael Ross and Taylor Neely were right on his heels with 16 points each. Neely also added 9 rebounds. Austin Collins completed the scoring quartet with 12 points.