The Union girls basketball team recorded four straight wins heading into Christmas break. Unfortunately for the Knights, the new year has been much less kind.

The ladies have dropped four in a row as of Tuesday, with some losses being closer than others. The January 3 game at Charles City was a tough 54-56 loss for the Knights, led by a 24-point output from senior Breann Bader. Junior Morgam Phillips led the team with 14 rebounds.

The January 4 game at Waverly-Shell Rock saw the Knights fall a bit flat, scoring just 22 points as a team in the defeat. Bader led the team with eight.

A third straight road contest on January 16 brought a similar result, with the girls falling 32-46 at Hudson. Phillips again notched 14 rebounds, and junior Kaylee Sherwood scored eight points to go along with two rebounds.

A home contest against Dike-New Hartford on January 17 ended in a 37-56 defeat. Bader led the team with 11 points, and Phillips had a team-high five rebounds and four assists.

The girls face Center Point-Urbana at home on Thursday night and Aplington-Parkersburg on Friday evening.

The Union boys have also had trouble adjusting to the new year, dropping a few contests in 2014.

The January 4 game at Waverly-Shell Rock ended in a 39-61 defeat for the Knights, with Bo Bader leading the team with 17 points. Brady Driscol scored 13, and Alex Bear led the team with five rebounds.

Back-to-back games on January 16 and 17 also ended with losses, by a score of 44-54 against Hudson and 46-56 against Dike-New Hartford.

The boys are back in action this Thursday and Friday with home contests against Center Point-Urbana and Aplington-Parkersburg.