Panthers Look To Win First State Championship, After Big Final Four Win

By Wright Hogsed

For the first time in 54 years, the 26-5 Union County Panthers will play in a state championship after beating 25-5 Tattnall County by a score of 54-38 in the final four. The final four games were played at Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, GA. Union went into the game as an underdog, as they were the sixth seed in the tournament, and Tattnall was the second seed. This did not faze Union County fans as a large number traveled every bit of four and a half hours to support their Panthers.

The first half was all about the Panthers trying to establish their game and show Tattnall that they were there to be aggressive and win. Union played fast and physical defense, diving for balls and getting rebounds. This opened opportunities for the Panthers to take advantage of transition points and to get to the free-throw line. At the end of the first half, the Panthers had a two-point lead of 20-18.

The second half would be dominated by an offensive explosion by Union County captains #2 Houston Henry and #34 Hayden Hughes. Hughes opened the half with three treys in a row. This hot start of the half would lead to Tattnall County having to play catch up while also trying to slow down the Panther’s hot offense. This would prove too difficult for the Warriors as Union would maintain at least a ten-point lead for most of the final quarter. The final daggers for the Warriors would be back-to-back threes from Henry. After the game ended, head coach Corey Garrett had the whole Union County team celebrate by hyping up the corner section of the arena where every Union County Panther fan stood applauding the Panthers.

Union looks to have even more support when they play in Macon on Thursday at three o’clock as they play the four-seed 20-8 Butler Bulldogs. The Bulldogs also pulled a major upset when they beat one-seed Carver-Columbus last Friday. If the Panthers win, it will be Union County’s first-ever basketball state championship and a fitting end for an amazing group of seniors who have poured their blood, sweat, and tears into the Panthers program.