BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Thomas Williams’ 19 second-half points helped his team erase an 11-point deficit, but Fort White’s Brandon DeMartino knocked down a turn-around jumper in the lane with 16 seconds left and then came up with a steal as the Union County High School boys basketball team lost 48-46 in a District 6-1A matchup on Jan. 14 in Fort White.
Gavin Jenkins was able to get off a three-point attempt at the buzzer, but it went off the front end of the rim as the Tigers (7-7) lost for the second time in three games.
Williams and Dee Williams each had two field goals during a 9-0 run that put Union up 9-3 in the first quarter. One of Dee Williams’ baskets came off a Johnte’ Nichols steal, while a Cole Andersen-Davis steal led to one of Thomas Williams’ baskets.
Union didn’t shoot well in the opening quarter, making 36 percent of its shots. Things got worse in the second quarter as the Tigers made 3 of 12 field-goal attempts (25 percent). Still, they were able to maintain their lead. Baskets by Kam Paytee and Auntrell Ross helped Union go up 17-10. Thomas Williams rebounded his own miss and scored to help the Tigers go into halftime leading 19-13.
The Tigers’ shooting struggles continued after the break, while the Indians surpassed their first-half point total in the third quarter, which they opened with a 14-0 run. Two consecutive baskets by Fort White’s Garrett Brady tied the score at 19-19 before DeMartino made a three-pointer to give the Indians a lead they wouldn’t lose until less than a minute remained in the game.
Union didn’t score in the third quarter until Deonte Jones made a free throw at the 3:48 mark. Thomas Williams scored the Tigers’ first field goal of the quarter with 3:02 on the clock.
Fort White outscored Union 26-9 in the quarter, which ended with the Indians’ Najeeb Smith draining a three-pointer before the buzzer, making the score 39-28.
The Tigers’ first three baskets of the fourth quarter were three-pointers by Thomas Williams, with the third long-range basket pulling Union to within 45-37. Cole Andersen-Davis scored off an offensive rebound to make it a six-point game. Jones then sank a three-pointer with 1:34 to play to make the score 45-42.
Fort White missed three consecutive shots before Thomas Williams knocked down a foul-line jumper to make pull Union to within one with 1:03 to play.
Dee Williams almost forced a turnover, which resulted in the Indians calling a time out with 39 seconds on the clock. When play resumed, Thomas Williams was successful in a steal attempt, which led to his layup and a 46-45 Union lead with 35 seconds left.
DeMartino answered at the other end to put the Indians back on top. He then came away with a steal underneath his own basket and was fouled with 5.2 seconds remaining. DeMartino made 1 of 2 free throws before Jenkins’ unsuccessful three-point attempt at the buzzer.
Thomas Williams, who had 13 of the Tigers’ 18 fourth-quarter points, finished with 26 points. Union also got six points from Jones, five points from Dee Williams, two points each from Andersen-Davis, Jenkins, Paytee and Ross, and one point from Nichols.
The game capped a 1-2 week for the Tigers that began with a 48-40 loss at Branford on Jan. 9. Dee Williams led the team with 10 points, while also adding nine rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Thomas Williams and Jenkins scored nine and eight points, respectively. Nichols added five points and three assists, while Andersen-Davis and Jones each had four points.
Union bounced back with a 20-point effort from Thomas Williams in a 69-41 win over visiting Dixie County on Jan. 12. Williams also had four steals and three assists.
Nichols had 14 points, six assists and six steals, while the Tigers also got nine points from Jones, eight points each from Jenkins and Dee Williams, and two points each from Andersen-Davis, Paytee, Ross, Jayce Puni and Jason Thomas.
The Tigers travel to play Interlachen on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 7:30 p.m. and host Keystone Heights on Thursday, Jan. 19, at 6 p.m. Union travels to play Trenton on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. before returning home to play Bell on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 7:30 p.m.
