The Union High boys basketball team’s defense was turned loose in the second quarter last night.

That spelled doom for Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

The Scotties held the Chargers to two second-quarter points en route to a 67-50 WPIAL Section 1-A home win.

Union (2-0 section, 10-1 overall) trailed 15-11 after the first quarter before outscoring Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 19-2 in the second stanza.

“We picked up the pressure a little bit more in the second quarter,” Scotties coach Dave Smialowski said. “We didn’t pressure as much in the beginning; we were a little more safe in the first quarter.

“We were trapping more and taking chances in the second quarter. That’s what ballooned the lead for us. Our pressure wore them down.”

Union, which is ranked No. 2 in the WPIAL in Class A by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, has won 10 straight games since a season-opening loss to Mercyhurst Prep. The Scotties’ closest margin of victory during the streak was 14 on two separate occasions.

“That’s a credit to the kids,” Smialowski said. “They’ve been working hard and they’re fun to coach.”

The Chargers came in ranked No. 5 in the WPIAL by the Post-Gazette.

Joe Salmen paced four Union players in double figures with 19 points. Markel Peace posted 18 markers and Benjamin Young was next with 13. Tre Major tossed in 12 tallies to go along with a team-high nine rebounds.

Cameron Johnson recorded 20 points to lead Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.