Only Union County and Dawson County took the court on Thursday evening in the opening round of the state playoffs. For Union, it meant advancing closer to a championship. Dawson fell in a tough loss on the road despite a solid outing.

CEDAR GROVE 45, DAWSON 39

The Lady Tigers (14-14) closed their season in a 45-39 low-scoring loss at Cedar Grove. Dawson County led heading into the fourth quarter, 35-27 before the home team rallied for the win. The Lady Tigers outscored Cedar Grove in each of those first three quarter, but were held to just 4 points in the final quarter while the home team dropped in 18 for the win. Marlie Townley led in scoring with 13 points, ending her career with a double-double while adding 10 boards. Junior Maddie Anglin had 9 points, senior Sophia D’Oliveira and freshman Kirklyn Porter scored 6 each.

UNION 69, THERRELL 40

The Lady Panthers (22-6) got HUGE production from Ava Hunter when it mattered most. She scored a game-best 27 points in leading Union to a Sweet 16 berth, their first since the ’15-16 season (which is also the last time they were in the playoffs). Kait McCarter had 12, Andelin Hill had 9, and Brooke Dockrey had 8 for the Lady Panthers. The girls never really ran into trouble, getting out to a 16-7 lead after one, and stretching that to 23-7 early in the second. It was 51-29 heading into the final quarter, when Union put the game away quickly.

Feature photo by Todd Forrest