Maddie Fulton
LIBERTY, Ind. – It’s a cliche, but the reality is what a difference a year makes.
Last year, the Hagerstown girls basketball team claimed the Class 2A Sectional 41 title with a win over Union County.
This year, Union County beat Hagerstown twice at home with the final time coming on Tuesday night as the Patriots won 43-37 to move on to the semifinals of the sectional.
“We were coming in with a little motivation from last year,” said Union County’s Maddie Fulton, who led the Patriots with 18 points. “We just had to play hard. There’s no tomorrow if we lose.”
And the Patriots (15-8) did play hard as the won their 11th straight this season in Liberty without a loss.
Overall, Union County has won 14 in a row at home since losing to Connersville back in December of 2014.
“I thought our kids played extremely well,” Union County Head Coach Scott Gray said.
Hagerstown finishes the season at 16-8 with a Wayne County Tournament title and a co-championship in the Tri-Eastern Conference.
“They were the better team tonight, plain and simple,” Hagerstown Head Coach Chris Oliger said. “They were the aggressor and we were not.”
The post-game message from Oliger to the Tigers brought forth the team’s accomplishments.
“This is one that is going to hurt for a long time, but you can’t hang your head,” he said.
Tigers Lead Early
Savannah Houck
Hagerstown got a 3-pointer from Gabby Willis and a pair of free throws Savannah Houck as the Tigers built a 5-0 advantage at the 5:44 mark of the opening period.
Union County answered and by the end of the frame, the Patriots were on top 13-7 after Sierra Dowler hit a pair of treys and Tanner Henry added another one from long range.
The second quarter was the lowest scoring period of the night as Union County led 15-13 when it was over.
Gary talked about the pregame chat between between the head coaches.
“We both agreed this was going to be a war and it was,” Gray said. “To see that kind of score in the first half, you know people are defending.”
The second half began with Houck hitting two more free throws to give the Tigers a 16-15 lead with 7:40 to go.
Sierra Dowler
Unfortunately for Hagerstown, Union County finished the third with a 12-4 run capped by a 3-pointer from Dowler in the final moments as the Patriots led 27-20.
“We could never get in the flow offensively,” Oliger said. “A lot of standing around hoping somebody else would make a play.”
Fulton made her presence known in the fourth quarter as she scored half of her points in the last eight minutes.
“Everybody we’ve played has face-guarded Maddie Fulton, and they should,” Gray said. “I think she’s the best player in the conference. You have to guard her that way. Our girls have to step up. They have to take the shots that are open.”
Dowler finished with 10 points and Henry contributed seven points.
Houck led Hagerstown with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Brytni Dale tossed in eight points.
Patriots Meet Lincoln in Semifinals
Union County (15-8) is slated to face Lincoln (12-10) in the first game on Friday night.
Gray has a lot of respect for the Golden Eagles who defeated the Patriots in Cambridge City 55-47 on Jan. 27.
“Lincoln has already beat us once,” Gray said. “We’re going to have to play well to beat them.”
Lincoln finished the regular season with five wins in a row and Gray thinks his team must repeat its defensive effort from the sectional opener.
“They are so talented,” Gray said. “They’ve got a lot of weapons. We will have to have this kind of defensive performance to be in that game.”
Box Score
HAGERSTOWN (16-8) – Gabby Willis 2 0-0 5, Hannah Rogers 3 0-0 6, Taylor Kelley 0 0-2 0, Brytni Dale 3 0-0 8, Savannah Houck 3 5-7 12, Beth Jenkins 0 0-0 0, Victoria Pierson 0 0-0 0, Hailee Garrison 2 0-0 6. Team – 13 5-9 37.
UNION COUNTY (15-8) – Sierra Dowler 3 1-2 10, Tanner Henry 3 0-1 7, Maddie Fulton 5 6-7 18, Madison Walters 1 0-0 2, Sammie Elleman 2 0-0 4, Danielle Franklin 1 0-0 2. Team – 15 7-10 43.
Hagerstown 7 14 20 37
Union County 13 15 27 43
3-pointers – Hagerstown 6 (Garrison 2, Dale 2, Willis 1, Houck 1), Union County 6 (Dowler 3, Fulton 2, Henry 1). Rebounds – Hagerstown 28 (Houck 12), Union County 25 (Walters 7). Turnovers – Hagerstown 18, Union County 10. Fouls – Hagerstown 13, Union County 8.
Class 2A Sectional 41 at Union County
Friday, Feb. 5
Lincoln (12-10) vs. Union County (15-8), 6 p.m.
Winchester (11-11) vs. Centerville (5-15), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 6
Championship, 7:30 p.m.