The Union County Lady Patriots (14-11) aren’t supposed to be here. According to the numbers, they had just a 12% chance to win their own sectional. But as Head Coach Joey Sidell puts it, “This is why we play the game—any given night a team can be knocked off. Our girls believe in themselves and each other.”
After a dominant 54-30 championship win over Shenandoah, the Patriots are heading to Greenfield-Central this Saturday at 4 p.m. to face the #8-ranked Heritage Christian Eagles (18-8). While the rankings favor the Eagles, a closer look at the matchups suggests Union County has the perfect blueprint for an upset.
The Power of the “Unknown” Scorer
While most teams at this level rely on one or two superstars, Sidell has built a “positionless” scoring machine that is a nightmare to scout.
“Yes we lean on our whole team to try and score,” Sidell said. “It makes us much more difficult to guard. If one is off, someone else will step up.” This scoring depth—where any of five different players can lead the team on a given night—is the ultimate counter to a top-heavy Heritage Christian squad that relies on just two players for nearly 60% of their points. By rotating five freshmen alongside seasoned upperclassmen, the Patriots can maintain a pace that most short-benched teams can’t match.
Neutralizing the Eagles’ Stars
Heritage Christian’s offense flows through Riley Johnson and Elyse Snively. However, Johnson shoots just 37% from the field. The hint here is simple: if the Patriots can force those two into “tough twos” and contested shots, the Eagles lack a consistent third option to pick up the slack.
Sidell’s “swarming” defense is designed for exactly this. “They have executed the game plans perfectly,” Sidell noted. “Last few weeks seems like they got a chip on their shoulder… they are very active around the perimeter and they swarm the opponents in the paint.”
Controlling the Pace and the Paint
The “Magic Number” for an upset is 50. When the Eagles are held under 50 points, they struggle. Union County’s recent defensive tear—holding Hagerstown to 14 and Shenandoah to 30—shows they have the discipline to turn this into a half-court grind.
“Definitely have to try and keep it half court, limit some possessions for them,” Sidell explained.
Additionally, the battle in the paint will center on Heritage Christian’s Trinity Taylor (11.1 RPG). While Taylor is an elite rebounder, she is often their only consistent interior presence. If the Patriots’ duo of Kaybree Suttle and Livi Tinkle can play physical and potentially get Taylor into foul trouble, the Eagles’ interior defense disappears. As Sidell says, “We will have to be active and physical on the boards. Limiting their 2nd chance opportunities.”
Hungry for More
Early in the season, this young group was still learning how to fit together. Now, they are playing their best basketball when it matters most.
“I was so proud of how far they have come this year,” Sidell said. “We have three freshmen playing varsity and two in rotation…after they won the sectional and how it felt, they are hungry for more of those nights.”
Saturday at 4 p.m., the “12% Patriots” will find out if their swarming defense and unselfish offense can knock off another giant. If they can dictate the tempo and use their depth to exhaust the Eagles’ stars, that 12% is going to look like a massive underestimate.
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