Unity
Christian is getting another chance to win a state championship.
The
top-ranked and unbeaten Knights pulled away at the end of the first half and
rolled to a 58-42 victory over No. 6 South Central Calhoun to earn a spot in
the Class 2A title game.
Chanda Zomermaand led Unity
(26-0) with 22 points on some sharp shooting. The 5-foot-7 junior
went 4-for-6 from 3-point range, shot 5-for-8 overall and made 8 of her 9 free
throws.
Deidra
Noteboom came off the bench to add 12 points and
seven rebounds for the Knights, who lost to MOC-Floyd Valley in last year's
Class 3A championship game. Kassidy De Jong had 10
points and seven boards in the winning effort, while Anna Kiel was solid with
seven points, eight rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Zomermaand hit
two 3-pointers to spark a 13-2 Unity run that closed the first half and
produced a 30-15 lead. That proved to be all the
cushion the Knights needed. The lead was never below 10 points in the second
half and the Knights stayed in control by making eight straight free throws
down the stretch.
Haley
Birks and Tyffaney Toms scored 11 points each to lead
South Central Calhoun (23-3), which made the tournament for the first time in
its current makeup as a district. Kori Assman had eight points, five rebounds and three assists
for the Titans, who continued to hustle but couldn't overcome their scoring
drought late in the first half.