More importantly than winning, the way our ladies and our coach conducted themselves...shew..couldn't ask for anything more.
“Clarke County Edges Union For State Title”
The Union Lady Bears traveled to Richmond, Virginia, to take on the Clarke County Eagles for the VHSL Class 2A Girls State Championship.
The Eagles took advantage of a slow second half from the Union Bears, as the Eagles, who only led by one at the half, outscored Union by 10 points in the last two quarters of the game to claim their second state title in four years with a 67-56 win in the Siegel Center.
“We just couldn’t put it in the bucket,” Union Coach Slagle said. “That will do it against a good team.”
Union shot 0-15 for the night from beyond the arc, and 16-60 on the night.
“It just sucks when they don’t go in,” Union Junior Katelynn Witt said.
Witt led the Bars with a 27-point, 11-rebound, double-double.
Behind Witt was fellow junior Kailee Rentfrow, who also finished the night with a double-double, consisting of 14 points and 13 rebounds.
The Union will graduate two Seniors from this team: Taylor Hughes, who finished the State Championship game with 10 points, and Kaylee Rutherford, who grabbed 8 boards and contributed 4 points during the game.
“This has truly been an amazing journey,” Rutherford said. “No one thought we would be here. But even though we lost, we all know we still win with Jesus.”
“I am very thankful for where we got today,” Taylor Hughes said. “We have gotten a lot closer, not just on the court, but I am so proud of everybody.”
“That seven-hour bus ride home would have felt better walking away with a ring,” Hughes added.
This Union team has experienced its ups and downs all year, but Coach Wes Slagle knows that his team's faith has gotten them through it.
“There has been a lot of stuff happen to this team that frankly they did not deserve,” Slagle said. “God has been so faithful to this team, and our identity is not in basketball, it is not in winning or losing a state championship game, it’s in the Lord.”
“These girls here really have helped shape the Culture of the girls' basketball program at this school.”
For Clarke County, they were led by Alainah McKavish, who finished her career with a 22-point, 11-rebound, double-double.
McKavish also became Clarke County’s all-time leading scorer with a three-pointer she made in the first quarter of the game. McKavish finished her career with over 2,000 points scored.
Alongside Alainah McKavish, two other Eagles finished the night with a double-double. Paige McKavish ended her night with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Paige Stemberger came off the bench and made her presence known as she ended the game with a 13-point, 14-rebound double-double.
Savannah McCaw was the fourth player to finish with double-digit scoring for the Eagles, contributing 13 points toward the team's efforts.
This marks the Eagles' second State Title in four years, as they claimed their last one four seasons ago against another Mountain 7 team in Wise Central.
Union will look to remain competitive next season as they return Junior standout Katelynn Witt and Kailee Rentfrow, who made strides near the end of the season. They will also return Tatum Morgan and Arianna Jones, each of whom is in the starting rotation for the Bears.
Unchained reacted to a post in a topic:
State Championships
Unchained reacted to a post in a topic:
State Championships
Stelley reacted to a post in a topic:
State Championships
