Mitchell, Rasnick lead Union past Battle
A senior stalwart and a freshman phenom teamed to lead the Union Bears to a 71-58 Mountain 7 District boys basketball win over John Battle on Thursday night.
Senior James Mitchell finished with 21 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals, while ninth-grader Alex Rasnick pumped in 21 points for the sharp-shooting boys from Big Stone Gap.
Mitchell made nine of his 11 shots from the field, while Rasnick was 6-for-9 on field goals and 6-for-6 from the free throw line. As a team, Union (10-5, 5-1) shot 59.5 percent and held a 36-23 rebounding edge. Union plays at Gate City tonight in a crucial Mountain 7 District contest.
Cayden McConley (18 points), Reed Samuel (17 points) and Landon Casteel (10 points) were the top scorers for Battle.
The Trojans (11-4, 4-3) shot 37 percent. Battle also has a crucial district game tonight as the Trojans host Wise County Central.