The Union County Yellow Jackets secured their fourth win of the season over the Clinton Red Devils on Tuesday night, 71-42. The Yellow Jackets are now on a three-game winning streak after beating Liberty on Saturday (62-55) and Spartanburg Christian on Monday (81-31). Let’s dive into my four points from another dominant win from Union County.
1-Fast Start – Union County came out firing on all cylinders. The Yellow Jackets defense was preventing Clinton from getting the ball past half-court. This created a lot of early transition buckets. The Yellow Jackets led by over 20 points at the end of the first quarter and were able to ride this big surge of offense into the final 24 minutes. This game was truly about how Union County started and not as much about how they finished.
2-Full Court Pressure – As mentioned in the first point, the Union County Defense was elite. They caused double-digit turnovers in the first half and a multitude of 10-second violations throughout the ballgame. A lot of these turnovers were forced in the backcourt, but the strong zone defense in the front court clogged a lot of passing lanes for Clinton. The Red Devils could not find open looks at all in the first half. This is even more impressive considering the smaller lineup that Union County has, but their athleticism and conditioning was more than enough to make up for the size disadvantage.
3- Three-level scoring – Obviously with as many turnovers as Union County was able to create, many transition buckets followed. However, the Yellow Jackets scored at all three levels tonight and at the free throw line. Junior Eric Gray and seniors Ashton Stewart & Jaden Fleming all scored in double figures. Eric Gray was the most impressive player on the floor. His ball-handling skills and ability to get the rim opened up the floor for Union County. Ashton Stewart did a great job of finding his spot, but also was willing to attack inside when the opportunity presented. Union County also did a great job as a team drawing contact and generating opportunities at the free throw line. No matter if it was an open look from outside or a tough up and under, the Yellow Jackets were able to exploit the Red Devil defense.
4-Team basketball – No matter if it was on offense, defense, or the bench, this team was together all night. Coach Mitchell Moss had his team playing about as cohesive as a unit can be in early December. That is a credit to him and his staff. The thing I loved the most tonight was how coachable Union County was. Whenever Coach Moss barked out an instruction or a correction from the bench, his team was always quick to adjust and/or take responsibility. Seniors Nathan Koepke and Jamison Parks did a good job of being the glue on the floor. They were there to score if need be but played very hard on defense all night long. I loved that the Yellow Jackets on-court product on Tuesday night. However, this was all generated by this team’s preparation and ability to be coachable off the court.
