The Union County Yellow Jackets won their 2024-25 region opener against MVP, 49-40. The Yellow Jackets improve to 9-7 overall, as the Starts fall to 3-9 in the first ever meeting between the two schools. Let’s dive into my four points from Union’s first region win of the season.
Eric Gray – This junior guard is a special talent. Not only is he really good at basketball, but he is so much fun to watch play. Eric Gray was clearly the best player on the floor scoring 24 points for the Yellow Jackets. However, his high-flying plays above the rim on both ends of the floor had the Union County Gym “oooing” & “ahhhing” all night. However, it was efforts at the free throw line late that ended up making the difference for Union County. Gray scored the final six points of the game from the charity stripe and proved to be clutch.
MVP Duo – If you have followed along with high school football in the area for a while, then you know the name Bryson Drummond. He has starred in football at the quarterback position at both Greenville High and MVP. Well, he starred on the basketball court tonight, leading the Stars with 15 points. He did not have the best night shooting but displayed his long-range three-point shooting by dialing one up from 25 feet in the first half. Junior Noah Byrd added 13 points as well. Byrd was extremely efficient as he shot 5-8 from the floor, including 4-4 from inside the arc. Byrd was able to get to his spots and make his shots.
Defensive Intensity – Union County presses everyone they face. This is a big reason that one of Coach Mitchell Moss’s goals this season is to have 100 possessions in a game. The Yellow Jackets did a great job yet again of turning over their opponent, as MVP had 14 turnovers. Union County keeps the defensive intensity turned up so high the entire game that the opponent is never comfortable. However, MVP was able to match Union County with their own defensive intensity. There were a couple stretches in this game where MVP caused three or more turnovers in a span of four Union County possessions. I was very impressed with MVP’s on-ball defense and their ability to pick Union County’s pocket.
High Energy – Obviously when you see a team play as hard defensively as Union County does for 32 minutes, you also pick up on the energy that this team plays with. Eric Gray leads the way constantly playing above the rim. Ashton Stewart showed off his blazing speed a tonight on multiple occasions going coast to coast. AJ Shaw, who is undersized against most teams down low, was crashing the glass extremely well on both ends. Nathan Koepke and his senior presence brings a sense of calmness onto the floor when he enters the game as the sixth man. Coach Mitchell Moss and the sideline for Union County is always amped up. The energy and togetherness of this team is something very special to see.
