| Top-rated Lady Twisters convince more each week |
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Posted: Tuesday, February 5, 2013 7:00 pm
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By MIKE HUTCHENS
Messenger Sports Editor
The bandwagon for the Union City girls’ basketball team is becoming more and more crowded.
No. 1 for a fourth consecutive week, the Lady Tornadoes earned 14 first-place votes Monday in statewide balloting of writers and broadcasters — the most since they ascended to the top spot in the Class 1A Associated Press prep poll.
UC (22-3) won its 11th straight game Monday night — beating Lake County 51-42. Another victory on Thursday, in the team’s regular season finale, would tie the program record for most wins, set in 2005-06.
Union City received 10 first-place nods the last two weeks, and eight on Jan. 14 when it was ranked No. 1 for the first time ever.
The Twister girls, who beat Trenton by 37 points and Greenfield by 27 last week, collected 180 total points to keep a comfortable lead over No. 2 Jackson County (156 points, four first-place votes) in the latest AP listing.
JC, which beat Union City in the state semifinals last March, has the same overall record as the Lady Tornadoes after beating Watertown (68-50) and Monterey (56-32) last week.
The UC boys, meanwhile, continued to advance in the Single-A Top 10, moving up to No. 5 in Monday’s rankings.
The Tornadoes (17-7) — regular season District 14A champions like their girl counterparts — inched up a notch from sixth after thumping Trenton (70-43) and Greenfield (70-52) to sew up the league title last week.
The locals, who beat Lake County 61-46 Monday, received 94 total points to edge Richland (20-5) for fifth.
Union City’s district rival, Humboldt (18-5) entered the ratings at No. 10 after winning nine of its last 10 games. The Vikings’ only loss in that span was to UC, and H’boldt handed previously fifth-ranked Trinity Christian Academy (20-4) one of two losses the Lions suffered last week, 57-55.
Booker T. Washington (18-3) kept a stranglehold on the No. 1 position, garnering 15 of 19 first-place votes and 184 total points to easily outdistance runnerup Wartburg (19-3). Mt. Pleasant (18-2) — with the fewest losses of any ranked 1A team — remained No. 3.
In Class 2A girls, Westview (23-3) stayed fifth as the top six teams in all remained unchanged.
The Lady Chargers play at Obion Central (22-6) tonight and need wins vs. the Lady Rebels and Friday at Crockett County to forge at least a tie for the regular season District 13AA title with second-ranked Covington (25-2). Westview and Covington split their two regular season meetings — each winning at home.
Unbeaten Grainger (26-0) was a unanimous No. 1 in this week’s Double-A listing.
Covington (23-3) is second only to CPA (24-2) in the Class 2A boys’ Top 10 with Jackson South Side (18-2) coming in fourth.
Dyer County, with wins in 22 of 24 games, dropped a place to eighth in the Triple-A boys.
A complete listing of the polls can be found on page 9.
Sports editor Mike Hutchens can be contacted by email at mhutch@ucmessenger.com. Published in The Messenger 2.5.13 |
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