Long shots pay off for United

By Greg Gulas

NEW MIDDLETOWN — When the United High boys basketball team defeated Springfield Local, 83-70 on Jan. 20, they were able to solve the Tigers’ full court pressure while relying very little offensively from beyond the arc.

Tuesday, the Eagles attempted 22 3-pointers, canning four of their first five attempts from downtown en route to a 59-54 victory over the Tigers in the Inter Tri-County League Tier One game at Springfield.

Taylor Phillips scored a game-high 17 points and Jeremy Walker added 16 points and 12 rebounds to pace the Eagles (10-4, 9-3), who outrebounded the Tigers by a 41-32 margin.

“This is a really tough place to play so we’re very happy to escape with a win,” United coach Mike Ward said. “It seems like every game, every week someone new steps up for us.

“Tonight, it was Taylor [Phillips] and Jeremy [Walker] who both kicked their game up notch,” Ward said.

“Taylor was left open and had a good look at the bucket, knocking down key three-point attempts for us”.

Springfield Local (10-7, 8-5) coach Grant Spaite had a different game plan for the Eagles this time.

“We pressed a lot the first time we played them and they were able to handle that pressure,” Spaite said. “Tonight, they hit shots from what seemed like NBA range.

“To their credit, they were able to knock down those long range jumpers tonight,” Spaite said.

The game featured three ties and 11 lead changes with United taking the lead for good at 36-35 when Walker hit a bucket in the lane at 1:40 of the third quarter.

Walker, who averages a double-double on the season, noted that the Eagles’ outside game created open opportunities for both him and his teammates inside.

“I was basically open back side so it’s easy to appreciate the fact that our outside game created opportunities for our inside game tonight,” Walker said.

Phillips and Zack Taylor each hit two buckets from beyond the arc in the opening quarter. But Joe Musial’s five points and four each from both Todd Kibby and Eric Lipp helped the Tigers to a 16-14 advantage.

Seven points by Kibby in the second frame then helped the Tigers build a 28-27 lead at intermission.

Phillips, who nailed five of his six buckets from downtown, felt like he wasn’t on top of his game despite leading all scorers on the night.

“I really wasn’t feeling that great prior to the game,” Phillips said. “It was hot and I just tried to get into a rhythm.

“This is a small court so it is tough to run, but once we took the lead we were able to hold onto it and that was a big key tonight,” Phillips said.

In a slow paced third quarter, the Eagles outscored the Tigers by 9-7 count to forge a 36-35 advantage. With Walker canning nine of his 16 points in the final stanza, United outscored Springfield, 23-18, to seal the victory.

United was 21 of 48 from the field, including 8 of 22 from three-point range while the Tigers, who were 22 of 54 overall, hit just 3 of 16 shots from beyond the arc.

Phillips also added nine assists and 12 caroms, falling just one assist shy of recording a triple-double.