Basketball Recap: Braylon Ward Key Part of Team Effort in Tigers Win

Union won the last time they faced Paw Paw and things went their way on Wednesday too. The Union Tigers took down the Paw Paw Pirates 65-47. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Tigers.

Union's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Braylon Ward, who went 9-for-16 en route to 20 points in addition to five assists and five rebounds. Ward has been hot, having also posted two or more steals the last eight times he's played. Johnny Willis also deserves some recognition as he posted his first assists of the season.

Tigers

Assists

02/19/25 vs Paw Paw	19
02/18/25 @ Hancock	16
02/14/25 vs Pendleton County	10
02/07/25 vs Paw Paw	14
02/04/25 @ East Hardy	9
+ 17 more games

Ward wasn't the only one working in the assist department: Union was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in February of 2024.

When it comes to explaining why Paw Paw lost, don't look at Donavan Tanouye. Despite the final result, he went 12-for-27 on his way to 29 points along with eight boards and seven steals. That was a full 61.7% of Paw Paw's points, marking the 14th time in a row Tanouye has posted more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of RJ Ryan, who scored three points and five rebounds.

Union now has a winning record of 8-7. As for Paw Paw, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-14 record this season.

Union wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next matchup, a 72-45 defeat against Hampshire on the 21st. As for Paw Paw, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 74-52 victory against Hancock on the 22nd.