Clutch free throws, stifling 2nd half defense push Union City past Grass Lake
GRASS LAKE, MI. - The Union City Chargers boys' basketball team defeated the Grass Lake Warriors Thursday night in their portion of the Big 8/Cascade crossover, taking the 45-38 win.
“We used a ton of adrenaline on Tuesday’s win (overtime win over Concord) and we talked about that in pre-game,” said Union City head coach Ben Chard. “The boys ground through the first half, keeping us in the game with our stifling defense. We made some adjustments at halftime, we refocused our energy, and executed our game plan.”
The two teams played to a 11-11 stalemate after one quarter, with Union City’s effort being paced by three pointers from Riley Laird and Landon Galvin while Aidan Decker and Eli Payne each added buckets. Alex Hull also added a free throw.
Grass Lake outscored Union City 14-8 in the second quarter, giving the Warriors a 25-19 lead at the half. Union City’s second quarter effort was paced by Jeremy Zehr with three points while Decker added five points.
Union City buckled down on defense in the second half, outscoring Grass Lake in the third quarter 10-4, knotting the game up at 29-29 after three full quarters. Helping the Chargers tie the game with their third quarter effort was Galvin with five points, Decker with two points, Nathaniel Maurer with two points, and Zehr with one point.
The Chargers put the game away with a huge fourth quarter, an effort bolstered by some clutch free throws, as Union City outscored Grass Lake 16-9 to find the final score of 45-38.
Union City put the game away with an 11 for 14 effort from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, led by five free throws from Zehr, four from Decker and another two from Payne.
Union City was led on the night by sophomore Aidan Decker who had 13 points, a total that included a 5 for 6 effort at the free throw line.
Also adding to the Charger win was Jeremy Zehr with nine points (6 of 10 from free throw line); Landon Galvin with eight points; Eli Payne with seven points; Riley Laird with three points; Rick Austin with two points; Nathaniel Maurer with two points; and Alex Hull with one point.
Grass Lake was led on the night by Brayden Lape who had 22 total points.
“Clutch free throws and fierce defense carried us to victory,” said Chard. “We have more to offer be we are continuing to get better every day. I am so proud of their focus and effort, day in and day out.”
With the loss Grass Lake finishes their 2022-23 regular season at 7-14 overall. The Warriors will next see action in the MHSAA District tournament next week.
With the win the Union City Chargers improve to 9-13 overall to finish the season. The Chargers will now refocus for the upcoming MHSAA District tournament which will begin Monday when they host the White Pigeon Chiefs in their D3 first round matchup.
Union City JV Chargers end season with win over Grass Lake
GRASS LAKE, MI. - The Union City JV Chargers defeated Grass Lake to put a big cap on their 2022-23 regular season, winning by the score of 42-29.
Grass Lake held a slim 6-5 lead after one quarter of play, extending their lead to 14-9 at the half.
Union City managed to take control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring the JV Warriors 16-9 to take a slim 25-23 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
Union City buckled down on the defensive end in the fourth quarter, with the Chargers out scoring Grass Lake 17-6 to put away the 42-29 victory.
Union City’s winning effort was led by Caden Hughes with 13 points while Jason Shoop added 11 points. Luke Fletcher added six points, followed by Zane Coppock with four points. Scoring two points each were Kent Robbins, Max Bigelow, Bradley Hunt, and Jacob Smith.
Grass Lake was led on the night by Walker McKibbin who had 16 points.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Clutch free throws, stifling 2nd half defense push Union City past Grass Lake
