Quick start fuels Tulsa Union victory

GIRLS

TULSA UNION 55, BENTONVILLE 37

FAYETTEVILLE — A quick start was more than enough for Tulsa Union.

Senior T.K. Pitts took the opening tip to the bucket and fueled a 9-0 start for the Redhawks, who cruised to a 55-37 win against Bentonville in the first game of a girls basketball doubleheader at Bulldog Arena on Friday.

Pitts, an SMU signee, scored a game-high 17 points and dominated the game at both ends of the floor. The 5-11 Pitts slashed to the bucket and also showed off a perimeter game with a three-pointer for Union (2-0).

“Getting off to a quick start was one of our points of emphasis,” Union Coach

Joe Redmond said. “Traveling two hours over here, just getting off the bus ready to play, we wanted to make sure we had a lot of energy early. We put a huge emphasis on energy and that turned into offense.”

The 9-0 run was just the start for Union, and it wasn’t just Pitts who was getting to the rim. Pitts scored 8 points in the first quarter, but teammate Aubrey Hishaw did even more damage, scoring nine of her 11 points in the quarter as the Redhawks led 17-3 with 4:07 left in the quarter, prompting a second Bentonville timeout.

Pitts had a strip steal and layup after the Bentonville timeout to make it 19-3 and the Lady Tigers (3-1) were never able to cut the deficit to under 8 points the rest of the way.

“Just their physicality was big to start the game,” Bentonville Coach Tom Halbmaier said. “They hit some buckets and we had some uncharacteristic turnovers and we just couldn’t get out of it.”

Bentonville got within 2111 on a three- pointer from Abbey Kate Sanders, but the Redhawks answered when Hishaw scored inside and drew a foul. Her free throw completed the three-point play and Union ended the quarter with a 26-11 lead.

The closest the Lady Tigers got was 36-24 with five minutes left in the third quarter on back- to- back three-pointers from Olivia Rustad and Ella Campbell. Union quickly answered back as Sydni Smith twice powered inside for buckets, the last drawing a contact foul. Smith hit the free throw for the three-point play and a 4124 lead.

Union was a state semifinal team a year ago and returns four starters. Point guard MaKenzie Malham, who scored seven points, has signed to play soccer for the University of Arkansas, and Hishaw also has multiple scholarship offers.

Bentonville was able to control the game over the final three quarters, holding Union to seven points in the second quarter and 15 in the third, but the big deficit was too much to overcome.

Rustad hit 3 three-pointers and scored nine points for the Lady Tigers, and Vanderbilt signee Jada Brown also scored nine.

Bentonville will take on North Little Rock at 1 p.m. today, while Union will battle Fayetteville at 2:30 p.m.