Boys basketball: Union 63, Battle Ground 49

Riley Hawken scored eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to help the Titans finish off the visiting Tigers in a Class 4A Greater St. Helens League semifinal game.

Union will host the district championship game, taking on Camas at 6 p.m. on Thursday. Battle Ground, which must now win twice to qualify for state, will play a loser-out game at 6 p.m. Thursday at Evergreen.

Union put away Battle Ground by outscoring the Tigers 19-11 in the fourth quarter. Titans coach Blake Conley said defense — particularly Micah Paulson’s work defending Nate Moring — was key to the strong finish.

Union led by five points after the first quarter, and took a six-point edge into the fourth period.

Hawken’s 16 points topped four Titans in double figures. Paulson added 15 points, Cole Weatherspoon had 13 points and four steals, and Cameron Cranston scored 11.

Moring finished with a game-high 17 points for Battle Ground. He scored 11 of them in the first half, when Conley said the Tigers hit some difficult shots.

UNION 63, BATTLE GROUND 49

BATTLE GROUND — Joe Carroll 5, Nate Moring 17, Kellen Butler 0, Cole Scheibel 0, Kobe Ford 1, Zack Palacios 0, Devin Johnson 3, Andrej Besara 10, Leland O’Hanlon 2, Daelon Floyd 0, Keaton Hoots 2, Rennie Mendoza 9. Totals 18 (6) 7-11 49.

UNION — Keithen Shepard 0, Brennan Paulson 0, Cole Weatherspoon 13, Micah Paulson 15, Carson Brucher 0, Nico Bricker 4, Nick Simkins 0, Thomas Lampkin Jr. 2, Cameron Cranston 11, Riley Hawken 16, Denis Kirichenko 2, Stephan Ammentorp 0. Totals 28 (5) 2-5 63.

BGround 10 17 11 11—49

Union 15 17 12 19—63