DISTRICT 1-AA BOYS TOURNAMENT Last man standing… Johnson Co. fends off Warriors in double OT, 80-79
Published 11:45 pm Thursday, February 20, 2020
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Will Tittle works the basketball toward the Warrior basket.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Happy Valley's James Harmon lifts a fade-away jump shot surrounded by a host of Longhorn defenders.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Happy Valley's Andrew Clawson finds himself in a pickle with several Johnson County defenders surrounding him.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Alex Lunceford of Happy Valley elevates for a jump shot.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Luke Roberts of Happy Valley offers up a one-handed shot close to the basket.
BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
BLUFF CITY – Like two gladiators entering a grand Roman coliseum, the Happy Valley Warriors and Johnson County Longhorns took the floor realizing that one would be playing for the final time this season.
Neither team wanted to go down as they would exchange flurry after flurry pushing the game into not one but two overtimes to decide the winner.
As the horn sounded to end the second overtime, it would be the Longhorns whose season would be extended as Coach Austin Atwood’s team escaped with an 80-79 victory.
“We have four seniors and we challenged them,” said Warrior head coach Jeremy Maddox of his team’s resolve to battle back to force the overtime sessions.
“They certainly answered the challenge. I told them in the locker room that I was proud of them.
“The adversity this team went through this year, I am not sure if any high school or any team at any level in the country has started their season 4-0 and suddenly you lose four starters,” Maddox continued.
“Hats off to Johnson Co. They played a heck of a game. At tournament time, one possession can send you home and they made one more play than we did.”
Trailing 25-23 at the break, the Longhorns turned on the gas in the third quarter as they scorched the nets for 29 points while the Warriors could only muster 13 allowing the ‘Horns to take a 52-38 lead to the final period of regulation.
Trailing by 10 with six minutes to play in regulation, the Warriors caught fire and by the three-minute mark had built a five-point edge.
From that point, it was a battle of epic proportion as both teams took their best shot at taking the win before the dust settled with Johnson County coming out victorious.
Lucas Phillips was unstoppable for the Longhorns as the sharpshooter recorded a game-high 40 points to lead his team to the win.
Michael Oxentine contributed a huge 17 points to the victory.
Blake Young led the Warriors with 22 points before fouling out late.
Dylan Willis closed out his Happy Valley career with 20 points helping to keep the Warriors in the game down the stretch.
Luke Roberts collected 12 points with James Harmon contributing with 11.
Alex Lunceford (8) and Will Tittle (6) closed out the scoring for the Warriors.
With the win, Johnson County advances to play Sullivan East Friday night.
