NASHVILLE VS. WOODLAWN
@ CHRISTOPHER CLASS A REGIONAL
02-27-03
BY JACK BULLOCK
CHRISTOPHER - When it came down to the final shot of the game between Nashville and Woodlawn on Thursday night, the Cardinals got exactly what they wanted.

Derek Burns took a pass from teammate Doug Junkins and let go of an uncontested 20-footer from the left corner with the final buzzer ready to sound.

However the 5-11 junior point guard's shot was just off the mark bouncing harmlessly off the rim, which allowed Nashville to escape with a 53-51 win in the semifinals of the Christopher Class A Regional.

The Hornets (18-11) now advance to the title game Friday night against Benton, who was a 57-54 winner over Sesser-Valier Wednesday night.

Nashville's Brandon Morris hit a pair of free throws with :05.4 seconds left to give his team the final margin of victory.

"I thought it was going in when he let go of it," said Woodlawn coach Shane Witzel. "We were ready to jump out there and celebrate the win. But it didn't go in."

The Cardinals looked poised to take the final shot a few moments earlier.

After a Nashville missed shot from Morris with 1:04 remaining, Woodlawn was prepared to hold the ball for a final shot with the game tied.

They managed to get the clock down to :14.8 left when they took a timeout to set up a final play.

But then the unexpected happened, a Woodlawn unforced error gave the ball back to Nashville with :12.6 left.

After getting the inbound pass in the backcourt, Burns looked and fired the ball across the court to Doug Junkins.

However in his haste to get the ball, Junkins stepped into the backcourt and was called on an 'over and back' violation.

This gave the possession back to Nashville.

After the Hornets inbounded the ball to Morris, he drove toward the basket and was fouled by Woodlawn's Luke Rolle.

Morris managed to rattle home both of the charities to give the Hornets the eventual win.

"This team showed a lot of heart all season and we made the kind of comeback tonight that I knew that we could." added Witzel. "But sometimes the shots just don't fall, like what happened in the second quarter."

Nashville trailed 17-15 after one quarter as Junkins hit his first of three 3-pointers on the night with just under a minute left to give the Cardinals back the lead heading into the second quarter.

Woodlawn would push the lead out to a 19-15 when Burns went baseline and hit a nice pull up jumper from 10-feet with 6:50 to play before halftime.

But those were the only two points in the quarter for the Cardinals, as a combination of Nashville defense and Woodlawn missed field goal attempts allowed the Hornets to take command of the game.

"We missed a lot of open shots that we usually make, but they (Nashville) deserve credit, too, for the way they played defense." added Witzel.

Nashville's Josh Maschoff scored two straight baskets on drives in the lane to get the Hornets even at 19-apiece.

Then JT Forys got loose on a 'back-door' cut, which produced a 21-19 lead and a Woodlawn timeout with 4:57 left.

The Hornets would score just five more points in the quarter. Ben Boehne and Morris combined to hit 3-of-4 free throws and Ty Ashermann cashed in on a short bank shot from the left side to make it 26-19 at the intermission.

Woodlawn turned things around offensively in the third quarter and got a huge lift off the bench from an unexpected source.

Thomas Knox, a 6-3 senior who has battled injuries in his entire high school career, came in and played perhaps the best game of his senior year.

After Nashville's Maschoff canned a wide-open 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it 36-28 Nashville, Woodlawn went on a 12-2 run to take its first lead of the second half.

Burns and Junkins took care of the first five points in the run. Burns hit a runner in the lane and Junkins followed that with a 20-footer that cut the lead down to 36-33.

After Forys got open for a reverse lay in, Knox hit his first shot of the game.

His turn around 10-footer from the right side with the 3:19 left in the quarter brought the Woodlawn crowd to its feet.

Then on the next trip down the floor, Knox came up with a loose ball and his pass to Mike Pool resulted in Pool rolling home a 3-pointer, which tied the game at 38.

Knox was once again in the right place at the right time as he came up with another steal, only this time he got the ball to Junkins, who canned a 12-footer from the left side.

This shot gave the Cardinals a 40-38 advantage.

The final moments of the quarter saw Junkins pick up a couple of fouls.

His reach in while following his own missed shot resulted in his fourth foul of the game and got him a seat on the bench.

Nashville salvaged the quarter by running :34 seconds off the clock to set up Forys, who came off of a screen near the right elbow, launched a 3-pointer that found the mark right before the buzzer. This basket sent the game to the final period at 41-40 Nashville.

The Hornets looked as though they were ready to take over the game again when they scored the first four points of the final frame.

A 3-point bomb by Chris Engele followed a Stephen Kozuszek free throw and Nashville had a 45-40 lead.

But Woodlawn once again mounted a comeback and Knox was a big part of the story.

Junkins and Nick Knapp scored two points each to get the Cardinals back within 47-46.

Then Ashermann hit just one free throw in a two shot foul opportunity, setting the stage for yet another amazing sequence by Knox.

He picked up yet another steal from an errant pass. Knox then stepped back and drained a 3-pointer to put the Cardinals in front 51-49 with 2:44 left.

"I kept thinking that Thomas Knox would not have any surprises left for me, but once again I was wrong," said Witzel about Knox, who had his playing time limited due to constant pain in both of his hips. "I know the pain he is gone through but he told me he was ready to go tonight. He gave us a big lift."

But as things turned out, the Knox basket was the final points scored by Woodlawn.

Nashville made four straight free throws while Woodlawn missed all three of their field goal attempts.

Nashville got 12 points each from Forys and Maschoff. Morris added eight points while Ashermann and Boehne chipped in seven each.

Junkins finished his Woodlawn career with a game-high 18 while Burns scored 16 and Knox added nine.

Woodlawn's stellar season ends at 24-4 while Nashville moves on to the title tilt Friday night.