Woodlawn Rallies Late, But JC Prevails in OT

HAMPTON - Ethan Saeler’s tip-in as time expired helped  Woodlawn send the game into overtime, but the Bears were unable to completely get over the hump as Junction City Dragons, held on for 67-64 win in overtime in the third-place game at the Region 4 Tournament on Saturday.By virtue of the loss, the Bears went into this week’s Class 2A State Basketball Tournament at Poyen as the no. 4 seed from Region 4.“That loss tehre was a killer,” said Woodlawn Coach Logan Adair.“I felt like we let that one get away from us,” he added.For the second consecutive game, Adair said his Bears struggled with their shooting, missing some wide open shots early on as Junction City bolted out to a 14-4 lead by the end of the first and was up 27-15 at the half.Jude Roberts, the Bears’ explosive senior guard, had just five points in the first half, Adair said.But Woodlawn began to find its range more in the second half, cutting it to a 39-30 deficit by the start of the fourth quarter. That momentum carried over to the final frame as well as Joshua Trantham scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to help make it a one-score game in the final minute.With the Dragons nursing a 55-53 lead in the closing seconds, Spencer Towery came up with a steal and fed it to Roberts, who launched what would have been a game-winning 3. However, the shot was no good but Saeler was there for the put-back as time expired, sending it into overtime.Junction City, however, managed to pull out the win in the extra period. Adair said Trantham’s 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime was no good.Adair said the loss was disheartening because he felt it would have put the Bears in a better position to advance in the state tournament. He said it was the second consecutive game where the team did not shoot well.Roberts, after putting up just five in the first half, came back to finish with 21. Evan Donnell followed with 13 while Tra...