BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Union County High School defeated visiting Branford for the second time in a week, coming away with a 67-47 victory in a boys basketball matchup on Jan. 11.
The Tigers (7-2) got 17 points and six rebounds from Jeppson Dang in winning their fourth straight game. Tyrese Chandler and Gavin Jenkins scored 13 and 11 points, respectively. Chandler added six rebounds and six assists, while Jenkins also had five assists.
Isaiah Folaji and Adrian Manns had seven and six points, respectively, while Union also got four points from A.J. Chandler, three from R.J. Odom and two each from Bubba McGhee, Jacques McKenzy and Erick Lasseter.
McGhee grabbed five rebounds, while Manns blocked four shots.
Odom added five assists and two steals to his totals.
The win came seven days after the Tigers traveled to Branford and topped the Bucs 60-55 in overtime on Jan. 4.
Jenkins scored 24 points as Union rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit. The Tigers also got eight points from Manns, seven from Folaji, six each from McKenzy, Odom and Tyrese Chandler, two from Jashuan Green and one from Lasseter.
Manns led the team in rebounds with 13, while McKenzy had 10.
Odom and Folaji dished out four and three assists, respectively.
In between the two games against Branford, the Tigers defeated Dixie County 54-44 on Jan. 7 in Lake Butler.
Manns and Tyrese Chandler combined to go 11 of 16 from the field, with Chandler scoring 14 points and Manns adding 11.
Union also got nine points from Folaji, six from Lasseter, five from Odom, four from Dang and two from McKenzy.
McKenzy grabbed seven rebounds, while Manns and McGhee each had six.
Tyrese Chandler, who had five rebounds, and Odom led the team in assists with five each. Dang had three assists.
Folaji added a team-high four steals.
The Tigers, who are 13th in the Florida High School Athletic Association/MaxPreps Rural Classification power rankings, host Keystone Heights on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 7:30 p.m. and will host Baker County on Friday, Jan. 17, at 7:30 p.m. Union travels to play Fort White on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 7:30 p.m. before returning home to play Bell on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 8 p.m.
