UC Tops Westfield in UCT

The Union County Tournament's second quarterfinal saw Union Catholic score a statement victory over Westfield, with GSBR coverage provided by Wheelie Good Pierogi.

Union Catholic and Westfield engaged in a cagey first four minutes with teams exchanging buckets and balanced scoring with UC up 7-4 midway through the first quarter after a layup by Elijah Peters. A Luke Schorr follow increased the lead the lead to 9-4 at the 2:30 mark. Schorr added a triple two possessions later and pushed the lead to 12-6. The 6’2” junior transfer from RFH kept firing away, finishing the quarter with 11 points as UC led 19-9.

Yaw Ansong opened the second with a finish at the rim, but junior guard Tyshawn Pearson answered for Westfield with a bucket and foul to keep Westfield within ten in the early going. A Sheehan dunk cut the lead to 22-15 at the midway mark of the second quarter and a short run brought the score to 22-20 with 3:00 to go in the half, prompting coach Jim Reagan to call timeout. AJ Altobelli countered with two strips and buckets in transition to restore a comfortable lead for the Vikings at 30-22 as halftime approached. UC closed the half on a 14-0 run and took a 34-22 lead to the break as 6’11” junior Yaw Ansong threw down a thunderous dunk to beat the clock.

The Vikings put their foot on the gas in the third quarter and expanded their lead to 51-32 midway through the third quarter as Schorr kept his hot handed play going. UC continued its dominance into the fourth quarter and cruised to a 78-51 win.