BOYS 2D Semis: Union 71 Ridgeview 33 - FINAL
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VHSL REGION 2D BOYS BASKETBALL: Union takes down Ridgeview, 71-33 (Herald Courier)
Darrell-Dingus Ely | Sports Correspondent
BIG STONE GAP, Va. – The old sports adage is that defense wins championships and Friday defense propelled the boys basketball team at Union High School to the Region 2D championship game as Zack Moore’s team held Ridgeview to 13 first-half points en route to a 71-33 win over the Wolfpack.
While Union (13-3) was missing open jumpers in the opening moments, the defense was steady throughout. Ridgeview (10-7) was 2-of-9 from the floor in the opening eight minutes and turned the ball over five times in the quarter.
“We got open shots to start the game, but we missed them all,” Moore said. “We picked up the pressure, got in the passing lanes and got some easy baskets.”
Once the buckets started going in, the Bears were off to the races. Sophomore Sean Cusano spurred a 12-2 scoring spurt by the hosts to open the second quarter as his club took control of the game.
The forward scored 10 of his 17 points in the period while grabbing three of his 10 rebounds as part of a double-double effort.
Trailing 31-13 at intermission, hopes of a comeback for the Wolfpack quickly vanished. Senior Alex Rasnick made a trio of 3-pointers in the third quarter as he tossed in 11 of his 17 points during the stretch as Union outscored Ridgeview 25-5 in the stanza.
The Bears’ advantage would balloon to as many as 41 points midway through the fourth quarter as five different Union players made a 3-pointer, led by Rasnick’s five shots from beyond the arc.
Turnovers plagued the Wolfpack all evening. The visitors committed 21 turnovers which led to 33 points for Union. The extra possessions were glaring in the box score as the Bears attempted 62 field goals compared to 36 for Evan McCowan’s squad.
Union was solid with the basketball as the Bears turned it over just six times in the game, while handing out 25 assists. Caiden Bartee led all players with six assists while three other Bears had at least four assists.
For Ridgeview, the loss ends the career of the program’s best player. Gabe Brown finished 4-of-7 from the floor en route to 11 points while adding a monstrous two-handed slam in the final game of his prep career. The Emory & Henry College signee and his fellow seniors left a lasting legacy on the Wolfpack program per his coach.
“This was our first regional tournament and we won our first regional game this year,” McCowan said. “All of our seniors have been a great example for our younger guys. Our three seniors have really set the bar for this program.”
The Wolfpack were led in scoring by Austin Mullins, who made 7-of-9 field goal attempts in finishing with 15 points.
A familiar foe awaits Union in the championship game as Gate City went on the road and knocked off unbeaten Graham setting the stage for the two rivals to meet once again.
A year ago, the Devils knocked the Bears out of the tournament with an overtime victory in the semifinal round.
“This is what we have been working for, first the district and now a chance at the region,” Moore said. “We’re excited and we’ll have our guys ready to play.”
The appearance in the regional final is the first for Union since 2012, while Gate City will be attempting to win its third consecutive regional crown. Tip-off for the Region 2D finals is set for 6 p.m. at Union High School.
Bradley Bunch stuffed the stat sheet as usual for the Bears. The junior forward scored a game-high 19 points, rebounded eight missed shots, dished out four assists and racked up seven steals.
Darrell-Dingus Ely | Sports Correspondent
BIG STONE GAP, Va. – The old sports adage is that defense wins championships and Friday defense propelled the boys basketball team at Union High School to the Region 2D championship game as Zack Moore’s team held Ridgeview to 13 first-half points en route to a 71-33 win over the Wolfpack.
While Union (13-3) was missing open jumpers in the opening moments, the defense was steady throughout. Ridgeview (10-7) was 2-of-9 from the floor in the opening eight minutes and turned the ball over five times in the quarter.
“We got open shots to start the game, but we missed them all,” Moore said. “We picked up the pressure, got in the passing lanes and got some easy baskets.”
Once the buckets started going in, the Bears were off to the races. Sophomore Sean Cusano spurred a 12-2 scoring spurt by the hosts to open the second quarter as his club took control of the game.
The forward scored 10 of his 17 points in the period while grabbing three of his 10 rebounds as part of a double-double effort.
Trailing 31-13 at intermission, hopes of a comeback for the Wolfpack quickly vanished. Senior Alex Rasnick made a trio of 3-pointers in the third quarter as he tossed in 11 of his 17 points during the stretch as Union outscored Ridgeview 25-5 in the stanza.
The Bears’ advantage would balloon to as many as 41 points midway through the fourth quarter as five different Union players made a 3-pointer, led by Rasnick’s five shots from beyond the arc.
Turnovers plagued the Wolfpack all evening. The visitors committed 21 turnovers which led to 33 points for Union. The extra possessions were glaring in the box score as the Bears attempted 62 field goals compared to 36 for Evan McCowan’s squad.
Union was solid with the basketball as the Bears turned it over just six times in the game, while handing out 25 assists. Caiden Bartee led all players with six assists while three other Bears had at least four assists.
For Ridgeview, the loss ends the career of the program’s best player. Gabe Brown finished 4-of-7 from the floor en route to 11 points while adding a monstrous two-handed slam in the final game of his prep career. The Emory & Henry College signee and his fellow seniors left a lasting legacy on the Wolfpack program per his coach.
“This was our first regional tournament and we won our first regional game this year,” McCowan said. “All of our seniors have been a great example for our younger guys. Our three seniors have really set the bar for this program.”
The Wolfpack were led in scoring by Austin Mullins, who made 7-of-9 field goal attempts in finishing with 15 points.
A familiar foe awaits Union in the championship game as Gate City went on the road and knocked off unbeaten Graham setting the stage for the two rivals to meet once again.
A year ago, the Devils knocked the Bears out of the tournament with an overtime victory in the semifinal round.
“This is what we have been working for, first the district and now a chance at the region,” Moore said. “We’re excited and we’ll have our guys ready to play.”
The appearance in the regional final is the first for Union since 2012, while Gate City will be attempting to win its third consecutive regional crown. Tip-off for the Region 2D finals is set for 6 p.m. at Union High School.
Bradley Bunch stuffed the stat sheet as usual for the Bears. The junior forward scored a game-high 19 points, rebounded eight missed shots, dished out four assists and racked up seven steals.
7 steals for Bunch? Good Lord. On offense, that's like scoring about 60+ points in a game. 7 steals is a lot of steals, or pardon the pun, it's a "Bunch". Congrats to the Union Bears on that win.
Bunch is a monster. Can do it all, has good size but handles ball very well and great defender. Union could be even better next year, lose Rasnick but Cusano, Bunch and most of team return. RV was very sloppy with ball tho, they just were a mess.
All M7 final on both sides of.2D. GC girls prob gonna win it all, 2D boys winner gonna struggle against Radford.
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