LONGVIEW — The Union Titans are ready to experience the Tacoma Dome.
No doubt, they did so last year, but with an opening-day loss at state in 2018 following their loss in the 4A regionals made for a quick exit.
Not anymore.
The Titans’ 56-37 victory Friday night over league-rival Battle Ground in their 4A boys basketball regional game at Mark Morris High School means the top-seed Titans (24-1) get at least two more games and advanced straight to Thursday’s 4A state quarterfinals.
“Going up there and playing right away,” senior Alishawuan Taylor said, “that’s something you don’t want to do. Having that bye and going up there for the quarterfinals, you get to experience it more and spend more time with your team.”
Of course, the top-ranked TItans hope it’s a lot more time.
Battle Ground isn’t done after Friday’s loss, but must take a harder path in order to achieve its goal of bringing home a state trophy. It opens the 4A state tournament Wednesday in an elimination game.
Union swept Battle Ground in their two 4A Greater St. Helens League games, including a narrow 5-point win Jan. 22.
But Union coach Blake Conley, back on the bench Friday after missing the past two games as he and his wife, Christie, welcomed their first child, called the win one of his team’s best defensive efforts of the season.
Union controlled the glass, limited Battle Ground on second-chance opportunities, and held the Tigers to a season-low in points.
It helps the teams are familiar with one another, junior guard Brad Lackey said.
“We know these guys, their personnel,” he said. “.. Alishawuan (Taylor) was fighting down low really hard, and focusing their guards to take tough shots. That was our game plan and we executed it really well.”
Lackey and Tanner Toolson scored 12 points apiece and Ethan Smith added 11 for the Titans.
Houston Combs had eight points and Taylor added six points, and the senior forward was responsible defensively most of the night on Tigers 6-foot-9 forward Kaden Perry.
Perry, a sophomore, had 11 points on 3 of 10 shooting. Colin Barton added eight points — all in the second half — and Vincent McCormic and Brendan Beall had seven apiece.
It was Battle Ground that used a 9-0 scoring run to jumpstart the second quarter to pull within 20-15, but that’s as close as the Tigers got the rest of the way.
Lackey’s 3-pointer gave Union its first double-digit lead late in the second quarter and the Titans never relinquished it in the second half.
Lackey also helped jumpstart a 13-2 run that ultimately pushed Union’s lead its largest of the game at 23 points, scoring seven of his 12 points in the final quarter. The Titans and their signature outside shooting was responsible for nine 3-pointers.
Battle Ground (18-9) is still headed to the Tacoma Dome for the first time since the 2001-02 season, and by now, the Tigers are used to playing in elimination games.
After placing third in the 4A GSHL, the Tigers won a play-in game just to reach the 4A bi-district tournament. Once they did, they won three straight elimination games and played four games in four days to clinch a regional berth.
Coach Manny Melo was pleased with his team’s defensive effort Friday, and knows a tough postseason path is nothing new.
“But it gets harder as we get going,” Melo said. … We always put ourselves in a tough spot.”
UNION 56, BATTLE GROUND 37
BATTLE GROUND (18-9) — Jaiden Linville 0, KeAndre Hunter-Holliday 2, Vincent McCormic 7, Colin Barton 8, Nathan Millspaugh 2, Brendan Beall 7, Kaden Perry 11, Lukas Karlsson 3, David Reed 0, Cole Bowden 0. Totals 14 (4) 8-15 37.
UNION (24-1) — Brad Lackey 12, Houston Combs 8, Izaiah Vongnath 0, Ariya Briscoe 0, Josh Reznick 0, Tanner Toolson 12, Ethan Smith 11, Connor Flannigan 0, Mason Hill 0, Ty McCullum 6, Curtis Youngren 2, Alishawuan Taylor 6. Totals 22 (9) 4-5 56.
Battle Ground 8 9 7 13—37
Union 20 10 7 19—56
