The Union County girls’ basketball team posted a respectable 13-8 mark against teams outside the 6th District in 2019-20, but an 0-5 finish against district foes Henderson County and Webster County weighed down the Lady Braves, leaving them at 13-13 overall. However, they’ve hardly been alone in their struggles against the Lady Colonels and Lady Trojans, with those two programs combining to win the last five 2nd Region championships.
Of the Lady Braves’ thirteen losses, only two came against teams with losing records, both in late December at the Murray Bank Lady Tiger Classic. Five wins in eight games around the turn of the year gave them some momentum, including a lopsided victory over Hopkinsville and an 8-point dispatching of visiting University Heights Academy. The first of two losses to Trigg County followed, with the result ending the Lady Braves participation in the 2A Championship Sectionals.
A lean stretch of five losses in eight games left Union below .500 as the regular season wound down, but led by freshman leading scorer Madison Morris, the Lady Braves ran off three-straight wins over Lyon County, Crittenden County and Daviess County to inject some confidence with the postseason looming. Morris averaged over 16 points during the win streak, including games of 20 and 19 points.
After a setback against visiting McLean County to close the regular season, the 3rd-seeded Lady Braves turned their attention to the 6th District tourney. They faced 2nd-seeded Webster County, looking for a semifinal upset of the Lady Trojans, but a 30-point loss brought the season to a close.
The Lady Braves will need to replace three seniors, including All-District selection Mollie Morris and Emily Hibbs. Morris scored 5.1 ppg and pulled down 3.9 rpg, while leading the team in 3-point makes with 28. Hibbs contributed 5.3 ppg and 2.2 rebounds per outing.
Freshman Madison Morris will lead the returning charge next season. She was the lone Lady Brave to average double figures with 10.5 ppg, while knocking down 28 3-pointers at a 32% clip. A couple of seniors also make up the returning core, with All-District honoree Jralee Roberson providing a presence in the paint. She averaged 5 ppg and shot 40% from the field, also leading the team with 7.6 rebounds per game. Raelle Beaven scored just under 6 ppg and rebounded at a rate of 4.6 per contest, while hitting for 43% from the field. Mati Hagan was second on the team in scoring during her sophomore season with 9ppg, leading the team with 45% shooting.
