UNITED OPENS UP THEIR TOURNAMENT RUN WITH A BANG

HANOVERTON OH- Coming into Wednesday night’s opening round matchup with Labrae, it could have been easy for United to be happy with a 16 win campaign and the title of league champs.

The Vikings found out quickly United is not yet satisfied with its accomplishments as the Eagles came out determined to add to that list on their way to a dominating 48-22 victory.

United controlled the game from the opening tip with a game plan to limit the Viking offense to one opportunity and clean the defensive glass each trip down the floor. That game plan worked, coupled with a smothering 2-3 zone, the Labrae offense could only generate two transition layups as United raced out to a 13-4 lead after the first quarter. “ Rebounding has been a challenge for us all year, we know if we can rebound then we are tough to beat. The girls did a great job on both ends of the floor crashing the offensive glass for 2nd chance opportunities, while we held Labrae to 1 and done”” explained United coach Josh Sigler.

The beginning of the second quarter began with much of the same narrative as United reeled off six straight points increasing their lead to 19-4 on their way to a 25-11 lead at the intermission. The defense of the Eagles stepped up keeping the Labrae offense searching for open looks all night. “ Our last couple games we have been setting goals on the defensive end for the girls to achieve. Their intensity has increased, they are communicating more, and it is starting to pay off” said Sigler. The defense kept Labrae sharp shooting guard Laura McCoy in check the entire evening as McCoy could only muster a team high 9 points. The size of the Eagles proved too much for the Vikings in the end as well.

Coming out of the locker room the Eagles used that size often in the second half lead by Junior Taylor Cope. Cope controlled the game inside the rest of the way as the Junior contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Eagles to victory. The balanced attack of United saw Grace Knight pour in 11 points while Grayson Kidder contributed 12 points off the bench. The United head coach knew how much this opening game at home meant to his program “Anytime you win a tournament game it can be a confidence builder for your team. We talked about what a great opportunity we had with possibly playing two games at home vs two quality opponents. The girls were very excited for the opportunity to compete on their home floor.”

Following the victory Wednesday night the focus quickly turned to what lies ahead for the Eagles in Saturday’s Sectional Final. United is set to meet Ursuline for the second time in just 11 days. The first game saw the Eagles come out on top 51-46 in overtime, but the United head coach knows his team must be ready for the rematch, “Ursuline is a very athletic / active team that had us beat the first time. We were very fortunate to win that game, our rebounding and ability to take care of the basketball must improve this time around if we are to come out victorious and move on in the tournament.”

The rematch is set for the Sectional Final as United vs Ursuline is slated for Saturday at 1pm in Hanoverton.

*Contributed By YSN’s Chris Sigler