AMERICUS, Ga. — For the first time since 1971, Union County will get to play for a state title.
The sixth-seeded Panthers dispatched No. 2 seed Tattnall County, 54-38, in the Class 2A semifinals on Friday at Georgia Southwestern University to advance to the championship game.
It was a slow-paced first half as Union County led just 20-18 at the half. But the second half was all Panthers.
Union County outscored Tattnall 22-10 in the third to run out to a 42-28 lead heading into the fourth quarter, powered by 12 points on four 3-pointers from Hayden Hughes. At one point, the Panthers led 53-32 midway through the fourth quarter.
Hughes finished with 15 points on five treys but Houston Henry poured in 24 points, 17 in the second half, to pace the panthers. Maddox Young added 9 points for Union County.
The Panthers (26-5) will take on No. 4 seed Butler at 3 p.m. on Thursday at the Macon Centreplex.
The Bulldogs beat overall top seed Carver-Columbus 78-73 on Friday in the other semifinal. They are in the midst of their best 4-year run in more than 20 years. They advanced to the semifinals last season and were the 2A state runners-up in 2022.
