But the game, in which Unity won by a 74-70 score, lived up to the hype and then some.

It was quite simply the hardwood, prep version of Joe Frazier versus Muhammed Ali from 1971.

At the time of the game, the undefeated Unity Rockets were ranked second in the latest Illinois High School Association Class 2A Poll commissioned by the Associated Press.

The Warriors had the distinction of holding down the top ranking in the IHSA Class 1A Poll, featuring the smaller schools.

The Rocket victory kept them undefeated as they rolled to 16-0 on the year.

The Warriors slipped to 15-2 as they endured their second consecutive four-point loss.

"This is what high school basketball is all about," said Matt Franks, Unity's head coach. "This Tuscola team plays so hard. The two teams and their fans make it a special game. Tuscola will be a tough out for any team in Class 1A. We are just taking it one game at a time. Tonight, I never felt comfortable. I knew that at any point, Tuscola could come back. They have some great shooting ability."

Each team entered the final eight minutes deadlocked at 51-51, but the game came down to the final eight minutes of play and really to the final minute of play.

The Unity Rockets used the charity stripe to stay one step ahead of the Warriors.

With only 38 ticks left on the clock, Kam Sweetnam, a 5-foot-10 Tuscola junior, drained a three-pointer from between the top of the key and the right wing.

The three-ball cut the Unity lead to 70-67.

It was first of two three-pointers that Sweetnam would hit in the final 45 seconds of the game.

Five seconds after the 38-second three-pointer, Dane Eisenmenger hit both of his free throws to make catching up for the Warriors a two-trip ordeal with only 33 seconds to play.

After a second three-pointer by Sweetnam with 15 seconds to play, Unity only led by only two points, 72-70.

Henry Thomas netted a pair of free throws with :07.2 to play to give the Rockets the four-point win.

The Rockets would lead by as many as 10 points, 68-58, when Thomas hit a regulation bucket with 1:46 to play.

But, the Warrior's ability to hit from beyond the arc kept the game in single digits.

Parker James hit two treys within 30 seconds of each other, and like that, the Unity lead was 68-64.

The Rockets went to the free throw line a total of four times for eight charity tosses in the final minute. They converted on six of them.

Both teams tuned up the three-point band early in the game. Dalton O'Neill, a 6-foot-3 Unity senior guard, was the first one on either team to hit a three-pointer, scoring from the left corner with less than 100 seconds into the game.

At the time, the three-ball at the 5:25 mark gave Unity a 5-0 lead.

(CONTINUED)

In addition to the three-pointer by O'Neill, Aiden Porter also hit one at 4:21.

"They have some great shooters and fortunately we were able to limit them just enough to win," said O'Neill. "We played outstanding team defense and we were in the right spots. This is always a tough game for us. We are friends away from the court as well. I think it helps us on the court. It has helped us jell on the floor and play as a unit. We know at this point, everyone is going to give us their best. We have to be ready to play every game."

Andrew Thomas opened up the second quarter, hitting a three-pointer in the first 15 seconds of the second quarter.

When Thomas hit another shot by driving into the paint, Unity held a 21-11 lead with 6:01 to play in the first half. Eisenmenger expanded that lead to 13 points, 24-11, with a right-wing trey at 5:42.

The Warriors cut the lead to two points, 24-22, with an 11-0 run midway through the quarter.

Jordan Quinn started the run. Sawyer Woodard, James and Sweetnam also contributed to the run. The Warriors would also score the final six points of the first half.

O'Neill led all scorers with 29 points.

The Unity senior struck seven times from beyond the arc. Henry Thomas was also in double figures for the Rockets scoring 12 points.

The Tuscola Warriors had five players in double figures led by Sweetnam, who had 19 points.

Woodard had 16 points, Josiah Hortin finished with 13, while James and Jordan Quinn each finished with 11 points.

"We need to guard better and get better defensively," said Justin Bozarth, Tuscola's head coach. "When you give up 74 points, you can't expect, nor will you, beat a good team. On the perimeter, they were hitting and we needed to cover them. We needed some timely stops tonight. I am looking forward to our upcoming games."