Playing for the consolation championship at the Bank of Old Monroe Tip Off Classic, North Tech held off Union to claim the hardware, 66-60.
“We are definitely improving, but still have a lot of things to work on,” said Union Head Coach Christopher Simmons. “I was very pleased with how aggressive we were against their pressure, which has been something that has hurt us in previous games. We played much stronger and confident and it showed in the way that we attacked their pressure. I am very pleased with the direction that we are going but we are constantly preaching to the kids that we must continue to be coachable and stay the course.”
The Wildcats made a run back at the Golden Eagles in the game, making a 21-16 run in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to erase the deficit.
Free-throw shooting was a positive for Union as the Wildcats hit 26 of 29 attempts.
North Tech took a 19-14 lead after one quarter and maintained that five-point edge at the break, 32-27.
After three quarters, the Golden Eagles extended their lead to 50-39.
Union plays its home opener Thursday against Warrenton. Junior varsity action begins at 6 p.m. The Wildcats visit Bourbon Friday with JV action starting at 6 p.m.
Union had the game’s leading scorer, Nick Ziegler. He scored 24 points while going 13-14 from the free-throw line. He added three assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Brandon Ford scored 18 points while hitting eight of his nine shots from the field. He added four rebounds, one blocked shot and one steal.
Blake Hulsey closed with seven points, four rebounds, two steals and one assist.
Ashton Dehn scored six points with six rebounds and two assists.
Brian Borgmann and Dylan Small each went 2-2 from the free-throw line for their points. Small added two rebounds, an assist and a steal.
TJ Vitt had one point, three steals, two assists, two rebounds and a blocked shot.
North Tech won the turnover battle, forcing 25 Union turnovers while committing only seven.
Ni’Sean Rigmaiden led the Golden Eagles with 18 points.
Also hitting double digits were Cameron Ussery with 12 points and Kevin James with 10.
