Union Local was dealt a massive dose of adversity during the second quarter of its Buckeye 8 girls’ championship game against Indian Creek Saturday night at the ECO Center.

At the 4:40 mark of the second frame, Jets’ 6-1 junior standout Ameera Saunders went down with a knee injury. She did not return to action. Creek led 14-13 at that juncture.

Union Local responded with resolve and resiliency. Consequently, Coach Scooter Tolzda’s charges turned in an impressive second-half performance en route to a 48-36 title game victory.

“What a character win this was,” said an elated Tolzda. “This really shows how tough our girls are. They could have hung their heads when Ameera went out.

“But they all stepped up and really did a great job in the second half,” he added. “I am very proud of them. We beat a good team tonight.”

The win was the 16th in 17 starts for Union Local. The Jets return to action Thursday against East Liverpool.

Creek, meanwhile, suffered just its third loss against 13 wins. The Redskins defeated Union Local, 50-46, in last year’s Buckeye 8 championship tilt.

The Jefferson Countians took a 20-15 lead into halftime. Union Local turned the tide in the third quarter, thanks to an effective zone press to go with four three-point goals, courtesy of three different players. The Jets exploded for 21 points in the quarter in surging to a 36-32 lead entering the final quarter.

The final eight minutes were owned by Union Local’s Laken Vinskovich. The 6-0 senior was nothing short of sensational in helping the Jets win going away.

Vinskovich tallied 12 of Union Local’s 14 points in the frame. She also recorded three steals and five rebounds in the climactic final quarter. Creek got no closer that six points in the fourth frame.

For her sparkling efforts, Vinskovich was selected as the game’s Most Valuable Player.

“We all felt so bad when Ameera got hurt. She is a great player and means so much to our team,” Vinskovich said, “I am so proud of how my teammates stepped up. They all played very well. I am very happy we won this championship.”

Vinskovich led all scorers with 20 points. Senior Delaney Butler was next with eight points while classmate All Kellaway netted six counters.

Saunders had all six of Union Local’s first-quarter points. Sophomore Ellie Greenwood did a solid job of coming off the bench and filling the void created by Saunders’ injury.

“We hang our hats on our defense and it was big again tonight. We also got a lot of mileage out of our press,” Tolzda noted. “We made some threes in the third quarter that helped turn the tide, and in the fourth quarter Laken was Laken.”

Sophomore Gracie Klinesmith enjoyed a fine night for Creek, tallying 15 points. Junior Kaydence Walker added eight tallies.

“We couldn’t finish. That is the second straight game we couldn’t,” Creek head coach Steve Eft said. “We played a really good first half but it got away from us in the third quarter.

“Their press gave us some problems in the second half and they shot the ball well in the third quarter,” he continued. “Vinskovich really played well for them. Union Local is a really good team.”

The two teams may meet again as they are both locks to make the OVAC 4A Basketball Tournament. Creek has won the past three OVAC 4A championships.