Big second half propels Quincy past Union City in Big 8 girls basketball; JV Orioles defeats Union City

QUINCY — Any time the Quincy Orioles and the Union City Chargers meet on the field of play, no matter the sport, you can expect an exciting and physical battle. That’s exactly what those in attendance at the Coolest Gym in Michigan got on Friday night as the Orioles and Chargers did battle in Big 8 conference action.

The Lady Orioles used a shut down and scrappy defensive effort in the second half to stymie the Union City attack as Quincy defended home turf, defeating Union City 49-36.

Scoring was at a premium in the early going, with Quincy holding a very slim 3-2 lead at the four minute mark of the first quarter. Quincy added to that lead ever so slightly, growing their lead to 5-2 only to see the Chargers come right back to knot the score up at 5-5 with two minutes left in the quarter. Neither team would be able to find the scoreboard again in the first quarter as the game went to the second quarter tied 5-5.

Union City quickly took the lead on their opening possession of the second quarter as Summer Thorpe sank a deep three pointer, giving the Chargers an 8-5 lead with only :15 seconds gone in the second.

After Quincy tied up the score with a bucket and a free throw from Sam Hagaman, the teams played back-and-forth basketball, trading ties and lead changes throughout the quarter.

An And-1 by Haley Hinds gave the Orioles a 12-10 lead with five minutes to go in the half, only to see Carley Gordon close the score to 12-11 with a single free throw at the four minute mark.

Union City managed to retake the lead on an Megan Russell inside bucket at 13-12 with 1:40 left in the half. Quincy went on to tie up the score with a free throw, knotting the score up at 13-13 at the half.

Quincy showed signs of offensive life early in the third quarter, starting with a deep three pointer from Brailee Wood, giving the Orioles the early 16-13 lead. The Chargers managed to tie up the score at 16-16, only to see the Orioles retake the lead on a Neha Jain bucket at the six minute mark at 18-16. Quincy added to their lead with a steal and bucket in transition on the press, extending their lead to 20-16 with just under six minutes to play in the third.

Union City embarked on a solid 5-0 run, a run capped off by an Aaleya Asher layup on the fast break, giving Union City the 21-20 lead at the four minute mark of the third quarter.

That’s when Quincy took control, beginning with a Wood three pointer that pushed the Orioles back into the lead at 23-21 with three minutes to go in the third. Quincy controlled the pace of the game on both ends of the floor, ending the third quarter on an 8-0 run, building a 28-21 lead after three quarters of play.

Mental miscues came back to bite the Chargers in the third quarter and early in the fourth as the Quincy defensive effort gave the young Chargers fits, leading to numerous turnovers and buckets in transition.

The Oriole lead extended to double digits on a Wood steal and bucket on the fast break, building the Quincy led to 33-22 with seven minutes to go in the game.

The Orioles continued to pull away, extending their lead to 39-23 with five minutes left in the game.

Union City showed they weren’t going away just yet as Carley Gordon sank a deep three pointer, halting the Quincy run and bringing the score to 39-26. Quincy answered right back with an Ella Dunn bucket on the inside, pushing their lead to 41-26 with 4:30 left in the game.

The Chargers again refused to go away, embarking on an 8-2 run over the next two minutes, closing the score to within single digits yet again, forcing a Quincy timeout after a Jordan Chard offensive rebound and put back closed the score to 43-34 with 2:17 left.

Quincy wrestled back control of the game out of the break, coming through in the clutch with solid rebounding, made free throws and mistake free basketball as the Orioles ended the game on a 6-2 run, putting away the 49-36 victory.

Quincy was led on the night by Haley Hinds who poured in 15 points to lead all scorers. Also hitting double digits was Brailee Wood who used a trio of 3 pointers to pour in 12 points. Also adding to the Quincy effort was Samantha Hagaman with seven points; Ella Dunn with four points; Neha Jain with eight points; and Raigan Horsfall with three points.

Leading the Union City effort was senior Megan Russell who poured in 12 points in a solid game on the inside. Also adding to the Charger effort was Carley Gordon with eight points; Aaelya Asher with five points; Summer Thorpe with three points; Jordan Chard with four points; Makenzie Hale with two points; and Mallory Wilbur with two points.

Quincy improves to 1-2 on the young season while Union City falls to 1-2 overall. Quincy will next see action after the Christmas break when they face off with Jonesville on Jan. 4 while Union City will face off with the St. Phil Tigers on Dec. 29 in the BCC Holiday Showcase.

Quincy JV defeats Union City JV in Big 8 matchup

QUINCY — The Quincy JV Lady Orioles defeated Union City Friday night by the score of 26-18.

Quincy jumped all over Union City in the first quarter, outscoring the Chargers 11-1 to take the early advantage. Union City continued to struggle offensively, only adding two points in the second quarter as the Orioles outscored Union City 7-2 to build an 18-3 lead at the half.

Quincy went on to outscore Union City 4-2 in the third quarter, building a 23-7 lead after three quarters.

Union City made a large charge, outscoring Quincy 11-3 in the fourth quarter to close the score to single digits, but it wasn’t enough as the Orioles secured the 26-18 win.

Leading the Quincy JV effort was Abby Hinds with 13 points, the only Oriole in double figures. Also adding to the Quincy JV victory was Grace Lindsley with five points; Sadie Miller with four points; Danika Skirka with two points; and Danica Swift with two points.

Leading the Union City effort was Milania Seaman who had 11 points in a solid inside effort. Also adding to the JV Charger effort was Nevada Gillons with three points; Rylee McDowell with three points; and Willow Austin with one point.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Reporter: Big second half propels Quincy past Union City in Big 8 girls basketball