Bret Templin
LIBERTY, Ind. – Two teams went toe-to-toe on Friday night in a Tri-Eastern Conference battle as Hagerstown won the fight in a 53-47 decision at Union County.
“I saw two teams who were flat out getting after it,” Hagerstown Head Coach Bobby Jones said. “I saw a Union County team that has that refuse to lose attitude and a Hagerstown team that’s figuring out how to win tough games.”
“The difference for us in the game was our point guard, Bret Templin,” Jones said. “If I had a game ball to give away it would right go to Bret Templin.”
Templin led the way with 17 points for the Tigers (4-0, 2-0) as they won for the first time in Liberty since Dec. 7, 2001.
“I felt like Bret Templin had a good floor game and really played under control,” Jones said.
Isaiah Neal added 13 points and seven rebounds.
Isaiah Neal
“He continues to do his thing and score for us and be a presence inside,” Jones said of Neal, who scored eight of his points in the third period. “I thought he did a good job on Dillon Miller. It seemed like every shot Dillon took was contested.”
Miller topped Union County with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Logan Sanford contributed 10 points.
Union County led most of the first period, while Hagerstown countered in the second to hold a 24-23 advantage by halftime.
In the third quarter, the Tigers worked their way to a 30-23 lead after Neal hit the first two baskets of the stanza and Templin added a score at the 6:07 mark.
The Patriots (1-3, 0-1) fought back to close the gap to 36-34 by the end of the third quarter.
Dillon Miller
After Hagerstown scored the initial basket of the final period, Union County went on a 6-0 run to take a 40-38 lead with 5:44 remaining.
The Tigers followed with a run of the their own to go back on top 46-40 with 2:04 left.
Sanford hit a pair of free throws for the Patriots to make it 49-47 with 55 seconds to go.
From that point, both teams missed several free throws that could have changed the outcome had they been converted.
“It was fatigue on both sides,” Jones said. “It was such a physical game and (the officials) let us play.”
Union County Head Coach Mark Detweiler agreed.
“It was the battle I thought it would be,” he said.
The difference for Detweiler was rebounding and free throws.
“They are not the fun things to do,” he said of drills in practice. “You just have to make them important.”
“It bit us in a game we knew that was going to be a battle all the way to end,” Detweiler continued. “We’re kind of a work in progress. We’re coming along.”
Denton Shepler scored 17 points to lead the Union County JV to a 48-30 win. Caleb Neal had 11 points for the Tigers.
Hagerstown entertains New Castle on Saturday, Dec. 12. Union County has a trip to TEC foe Winchester next Friday, Dec. 18.
Box Score
HAGERSTOWN (4-0, 2-0) — Mason Stitt 1 0-0 2, Jared Andis 1 4-6 7, Bret Templin 4 8-11 17, Isaiah Neal 5 3-5 13, Nate Combs 3 0-1 7, Drew Pyle 0 0-0 0, Jalen Oliver 2 1-4 5, Evan Hoover 1 0-0 2, Trent Weiss 0 0-0 0. Team – 17 16-27 53.
UNION COUNTY (1-3, 0-1) — Preston Scott 0 5-7 5, Breyden Wicker 2 1-2 5, Logan Sanford 2 5-6 10, Dillon Miller 2 6-6 11, Jamison Walters 2 1-2 5, Cameron Donovan 3 0-3 8, Nevada Lakes 0 1-4 1, Mason Miller 1 0-0 2. Team – 12 19-30 47.
Hagerstown 11 24 36 53
Union County 12 23 34 47
3-pointers – Hagerstown 3 (Andis 1, Templin 1, Combs 1), Union County 4 (Donovan 2, Sanford 1, D. Miller 1). Rebounds – Hagerstown 40 (Combs 8, Andis 7, Neal 7), Union County 29 (D. Miller 7). Turnovers – Hagerstown 17, Union County 11. Fouls – Hagerstown 25, Union County 20.