Union dispatches NOAH in tournament opener
BY JON POTTS World Correspondent
Friday, January 25, 2013
1/25/13 at 4:49 AM
Class 6A No. 12 Union defeated NOAH 88-65 in opening round boys basketball action of the Jenks/Union Invitational Thursday at the UMAC.
The Redskins (10-5) will face 6A top-ranked Midwest City or 5A No. 16 East Central in a winners bracket semifinal tonight at 8:30 at the UMAC.
Union rode its triple threat of post players Jeff Mead, Carson Meier, and Josh Palmer in dispatching the Jaguars (16-7).
Mead, a 6-foot-7 junior, had a team high 24 points. Meier, also a 6-7 junior, finished with a double-double, 22 points and 10 rebounds. Palmer, a 6-6 senior, scored 21.
"That was a point of emphasis for us," said Union head coach Rudy Garcia. "We felt we could exploit them with our height."
Allonzo Trier finished with a game high 36 points for NOAH. Trier had missed the previous two games after suffering a concussion.
"This is the first time I had seen him in person," said Garcia about Trier. "He's pretty impressive and obviously has a lot of talent and ability."
The Redskins held a slim 32-31 edge at the half. The Jaguars scored the first two points of the second half but Union countered with a 12-0 spurt and was not seriously threatened again.
The Redskins eventually were ahead 61-44 after three periods. Palmer and Mead had 11 and 10 points, respectively, in the third quarter.
Trier got the first five points of the final period to give NOAH a ray of hope. Union, however, pulled away thanks in large part to 10 points from Meier in the quarter, on 5-of-6 field goals.
"We did a good job of being patient and getting the ball to those guys where they were able to score," said Garcia.
The Redskins led 19-16 after the first period. Trier scored four quick points to put the Jaguars ahead for their first lead at 20-19 early in the second quarter.
Shawn Olden, who finished with 12 points, countered with a couple of key three pointers to help give Union its slim halftime edge.
"I thought Shawn did a nice job on both ends of the floor," said Garcia. "He made a couple of big shots and did a good job on defense making Trier work for everything."
The Redskins then continued their solid effort at both ends of the floor and played very well collectively en route to the fairly comfortable victory.
"We are taking steps in the right direction," said Garcia. "We have played good people and our conference is tough. That should make us a better team and hopefully get us back to the state tournament."
UNION 88, NOAH 65
| NOAH |
16 |
15 |
13 |
21 |
- |
65 |
| Union |
19 |
13 |
29 |
27 |
- |
88 |
NOAH (16-7): Trier 36, Maras 16, Moffitt 6, Branch 3, Ogden 2, Blount 2
Union (10-5): Mead 24, Meier 22, Palmer 21, Olden 12, Barton 5, Davis 3, Wannemacher 1
Original Print Headline: Union dispatches NOAH in opener
jenks/union invitational
