The final horn sounded, and members of the Union girls basketball walked over to shake hands with their opponents, like the Titans had just won a non-league in December. In fact, the Titans’ 65-25 win over Kennedy Catholic in the 4A bi-district quarterfinal secured Union’s first state-playoff berth since 2020. “I think we have bigger goals now,” junior Brooklynn Haywood said. “We’re not finished yet, so there’s no need to cheering and jumping around when we’re not done yet.” The next goal is another win over Camas. The 4A Greater St. Helens League rivals will meet for a fourth time on Wednesday in the bi-district semifinals. The game will be played at site in Clark County to be determined.

Monday’s win started out with a bit of struggle early as both teams played tough defense, as Union took a 7-6 lead into the second quarter. But the Titans opened the second with a 20-0 run and the rout was on. “Just turning it back on,” senior Janessa Chatman said of the Titans’ switch. “Our defense was good. But then our offense, like moving the ball, executing the play, making our shot and the transition too, was good” in the second quarter. Coach Gary Mills said his team came out a bit tight, with a state-berth on the line, and played a little “ugly” early on. But the defense was always solid.

“These girls prepare really well,” Mills said. “They lock in during practice, and they knew what they were doing tonight. Defensively, they were in the right spot all night. And once we finally got out in transition … we scored a lot of points in a short amount of time to bust the game open.” Haywood opened the second half with a 3-pointer, on her way to 17 points in the third quarter as the Titans opened up a 52-19 lead. “It’s kind of like a game with the other team,” Haywood explained. “We didn’t get tired, but they did. So we kept going, kept working, kept pushing. And ultimately, we came out on top, got that lead when we made that run.” Myla Larry added 15 points for the Titans (20-2), who notched their 10th win in a row — the last eight of which were by 23 points or more. That includes two wins over Camas.

“There was a time a couple of years ago when our culture was in trouble a little bit,” Mills said. “Last year, we started to rebuild it. And this year, it’s back. These girls all know what their role is and are happy to play that role. We have one of the best players in the state. That always helps. But you can’t key on her too much or some of these other players will bite you.” Haywood agreed. “I think we’re really clicking really well right now,” she said. “We’re able to fight through adversity and get through those little bumps in the road in the games like you saw in the first quarter. We pushed through that and got through it. Like as a team, we able to come together and do that, and I think that’ll take us really far.” UNION 65, KENNEDY CATHOLIC 25 KENNEDY CATHOLIC — Riley Burns 3, Isabelle McDonough 0, Jayden Fitzgerald 3, Gabriela King 10, Emily Barbus 4, Kathryn Schroeder 0, Britain Brooks 0, Paige Nadarski 5. Totals Totals 9 (2) 5-14 25 UNION — Carli Christensen 0, Myla Larry 15, Jadea Jones 0, Janessa Chatman 6, Leah Samuel 0, Taylor McCullough 0, Addy Eisfeldt 0, Brooklynn Haywood 37, Jalise Chatman 7. Totals 23 (7) 12-16 65.

Kennedy           6             5             8             6—25 Union                  7             22          23          13—65