GAME RECAP
UNION 62, BATTLE GROUND 58
Star of the game: Jordan Chatman scored 29 points and had the game-winning steal and basket with 13 seconds to play.
What’s next: Union plays at Puyallup at 7 p.m. Wednesday in a first-round bi-district tournament game.
BATTLE GROUND — The Union magic is back for another post-season exhibition.
Jordan Chatman’s steal and basket with 13 seconds left turned out to be the difference, and the Union Titans rallied from a six-point fourth-quarter deficit to save their season Friday night.
Chatman scored 29 points in a 62-58 victory over Battle Ground in a Class 4A Greater St. Helens League one-game playoff for the second and final berth to the upcoming bi-district tournament. Union (15-6) will play at Puyallup (18-4) at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Battle Ground (15-6) saw its season come to an end after finishing second in the regular season.
Union, which won the Class 3A state tournament last year, is still alive in its bid to make another run. The Titans also finished seventh in state two seasons ago. In both seasons, the Titans needed a lot of late-game heroics to advance.
New year, new team, same fourth-quarter focus.
With the score knotted at 58, Chatman drove to the basket but missed a runner in traffic. Battle Ground’s Willie Bratcher got the rebound, but before he could advance the ball, Chatman stripped the ball from behind, then made a lay-up as he was fouled with 13 seconds remaining.
“I missed that shot. I knew it was on my hands. I had to do something to make up for it,” Chatman said. “I knew I could get it before he saw me.”
Chatman missed the free throw for the three-point play. Battle Ground’s Serg Ovchinnikov drove deep into the lane, but missed a contested shot. Chatman got the rebound and converted two free throws to seal the deal with 2 seconds remaining.
Chatman and Tanner Nelson were instrumental in getting the Titans in position to win the game.
Battle Ground had withstood a frantic opening quarter from the Titans to take a 51-45 lead early in the fourth quarter. Chatman nailed his fifth 3-pointer of the game to cut the deficit in half, then Nelson converted a three-point play for the tie.
After a Seth Belknap basket for Battle Ground, Nelson responded with a 3-pointer to make it 54-53 Union.
“It’s just a great feeling knowing you’re helping out your teammates a little,” Nelson said. “I was struggling a bit. Something clicked in my mind that I wanted to get better. Then I knocked down a few shots.”
Nelson, who was on that state championship team, said he and his teammates know how to win.
“It’s something special,” he said. “We always seem to pull it out in the end. It reminded me a lot of last year.”
This is Chatman’s first season with the Titans. He is excited about the chance to advance to state now.
“It’s big for me. I’ve never been to a tournament outside of the local area,” Chatman said. “I’m always wanted to get to state. Now I have the opportunity to do that.”
Battle Ground was looking for that chance, too. The Tigers fell behind by 13 points in the first quarter when the Titans made nine of their first 11 shots. The Tigers, though, were not rattled.
Jake Belford scored 13 of his 21 points in the first half, getting Battle Ground back to within five points at the half.
By the end of three, the Tigers were ahead. Bratcher had back-to-back scores to give his team the lead for the first time at 40-39 with 2:52 in the period. Not known for his scoring, Bratcher also swished a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter for that six-point advantage.
Then that Union magic kicked in.
“Battle Ground is really good,” Nelson said. “We knew it was going to come down to the wire. I’m just happy we could pull it off. Give props to Battle Ground. They’re a great team. They were tough all year.”
The Tigers finished ahead of Union in the standings and had their best season in years. In the end, though, they went 1-3 in the four matchups with the Titans, losing by one, five, and four points.
“They were all good games,” Battle Ground coach Andy Schoonover said. “Jordan Chatman is amazing, though. He decided not to lose tonight.”
