By Mike Tupa
mtupa@examiner-enterprise.com
TULSA — Three quick buckets energized the Tulsa Union High School Redskins and jammed the Bartlesville High School Bruins in a hole all night in varsity boys’ basketball action Friday at the U-Mac Center.
Union proceeded to eventually build a 31-point lead before Bartlesville whittled it down to 20 points by the final buzzer, 76-56.
Andrew Gronigan threw down 25 points to lead the Bruins’ offensive attack, followed by Jaylin Oliver with 14.
But, Bartlesville just didn’t generate the firepower needed to keep pace with the smooth operating — and balanced — Redskins.
Mo Garcia scuffed up the cords with 17 points, followed by Michiah McQuarters and Jordan Flood with 14 each to lead Union; six Redskins scored at least seven points.
Union burst ahead early with back-to-back-to-back layups by Greg Hawkins, 6-0.
Oliver arched in a three-pointer for the Bruins’ first points to trim the lead to 6-3.
Bartlesville never caught the Redskins — but they kept on battling.
The Bruins clawed within two points, 7-5, on Tayo Dina’s two free throws, with 4:15 left in the first quarter.
Union answered with a deuce, but Oliver made it a two-point game again, 9-7, after he drove past three defenders and buried a short jumper.
Moments later, Garcia scored on a layup for the Redskins. Bartlesville struggled the first three quarters to string together a rally because Union matched the Bruins almost basket for basket — and then some.
The Redskins burst to a six-point lead, 18-12, late in the opening period on a Garcia layup.
A buzzer-beating layup by Flood extended Union’s lead to eight points at the end of the first quarter, 22-14.
Gronigan canned a three-pointer to open the second period; Flood responded with a layup, off a penetration and feed from the baseline by Larry King.
Union’s relentless backcourt trap then begin to produce dividends in the form of Bruin turnovers or empty offensive possessions.
The Redskins zipped to a double-digit lead, 28-17, on a backdoor layup by Kendall McVay, with about 4:20 left in the first half.
Bartlesville nibbled back to within nine points, 29-20, on a three-point play by Jake Bilger.
But, Union then went on a 10-4 run to end the second quarter. The Redskins headed into halftime with a 15-point lead, 39-24.
The third period evolved into a living nightmare for the Bruins.
Both teams went scoreless on their opening possessions before Union went on an 8-0 run — including McQuarters’ three-point play and weakside layup by Ira Richardson.
Bartlesville went scoreless for more than three minutes in the third quarter prior to Dina hitting a two-pointer.
Moments later, the Bruins received a dump truck worth of bad news when their point guard — and a gritty, pesky defender on the perimeter — Shane Simpson took a charge and was flattened underneath the Union basket.
He finally got to his feet and Bartlesville trainer Alan Mount walked with him into the lockerroom.
To add sting to their loss, the Bruins were whistled shortly after for a charging foul on Union’s Flood.
Union then pulled out to a 23-point lead, 52-29.
And, it got worse for the boys in Blue & White.
Union owned a 31-point advantage by third quarter’s end, 62-31.
Led by Gronigan with 13 points, Bartlesville outscored Union, 25-14, in the final period.
The Bruins whittled the gap down to 20 points, 67-47, momentarily, on a trey off the fingertips of Gronigan, with about 3:30 left.
Several seconds later, Garcia drilled a free throw to widen the gap to 21, 68-47.
Bartlesville never drew closer until Gronigan flushed a three-pointer near the final buzzer.
Next up, Bartlesville (4-7) opens play at &;45 p.m. Thursday in the St. Aquinas Tournament in Kansas.
T. Union 76, Bartlesville 56
Bartlesville 14-10-7-25—56
Tulsa Union 22-17-23-14—76
Bartlesville
Jaylin Oliver 5 0-0 14, Tayo Dina 3 2-2 9, Andrew Gronigan 8 5-5 25, Jake Bilger 3 1-1 8. Totals: 19 8-8 56.
Tuls a Union
Ira Richardson 2 2-2 7, Greg Hawkins 4 0-0 8, Michiah McQuarters 5 3-5 14, Kendall McVay 3 1-2 8, Quentin Harvey 1 0-0 2, Dexter Jones 1 0-0 2, Mo Garcia 5 6-8 17, Jordan Flood 5 4-4 14, Noah Brown 1 2-2 4. Totals: 27 18-23 76.