Class 2A Division 1 Playoffs: Overton controls 2nd half, defeats Union Grove

Published 12:48 am Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Overton took control of the game in the second half to grab a 47-35 victory over Union Grove in the bi-district round of the Class 2A Division 1 playoffs Monday night at Tyler Junior College’s Wagstaff Gymnasium.

“They really made us earn it in the first half, and they hit some big shots, and I kept telling them that they can’t stay that hot,” Overton head boys basketball coach Kerry McConnell said. “But we also had to put pressure on their perimeter shooters and drive them off the line and make them dribble. I thought we did a really good job in the second half of putting ball pressure on their best guards, where in the first half, I thought we left them open to get open looks.”

Union Grove hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter — two each by Hudson Wightman and Tate Salter — to lead 12-9 after the first quarter. The Lions made three more triples — all by Jaxon Ledbetter — in the second quarter to lead 21-20 at the break.

Union Grove was 7 of 12 from 3-point range in the first half. The Lions were 1 of 9 from downtown in the second half.

After Union Grove once led 21-19 with 2:02 remaining in the second quarter, the Lions went scoreless for more than nine minutes as Overton went on an 11-0 run to lead 30-21. An old-fashioned 3-point play from Wightman with 33 seconds on the clock put the score at 30-24 after three quarters.

With the score at 32-28, Overton outscored Union Grove 15-3 to go up 47-31 in the final minute.

In the final 30 seconds, Union Grove senior Wrigley Roberts, who averages 11.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game but injured his foot in the final district game, checked into the game while wearing a walking boot.

McConnell called a timeout and huddled his team up.

On the ensuing timeout, the Lions inbounded the ball to Roberts, who made a layup with 19 seconds remaining to cut the score to 47-33 for the final points of his high school career.

“He was such a big part of this season,” Union Grove head boys basketball coach Lance Loewe said. “He’s our second-leading scorer and was a leader for us all season. To not have him in this game, it was unfortunate. I’ll give credit to the rest of the kids. They stepped up and played really hard. Overton is a really good team. It was just a good moment for him to cap off his season, being able to get on the court and be with his brothers.”

“Coach Loewe and I had talked before the game, and he kind of informed me of the situation,” McConnell said. “There are things bigger than basketball. And that meant a lot to that kid to be out there and be a part of that in his final minutes of his senior season.”

“It just means a lot to me,” Roberts said. “What a year. If you saw how our year went, you would be like, ‘wow, how is this team here,’? It’s crazy because at the beginning of the season we were just so down, and then we built our way up and made the playoffs. It’s always an accomplishment to make the playoffs no matter who you are. And it just felt good.”

Union Grove, which finished the season 14-18, won nine of 13 games from Dec. 30, 2025, through Feb. 10 to get into the playoffs.

Overton (17-8) has won 11 of its last 13 games with the only two losses coming to Douglass.

Rylan Holleman led Overton with 13 points. Brody Brown had 9 points and four steals. Christian Hall had 8 points and eight rebounds. Landon Hill had 6 points and eight rebounds. Ivan Ransom had 5 points and four steals. Nolan Hill had 4 points, and Elijah Dorsey added 2 points.

Wightman led Union Grove with 13 points. Ledbetter and Salter each had 9 points, and Salter had seven rebounds. Kody Nutt and Kohl Sirmans each added 2 points.

Overton will face either San Augustine or Timpson.