Special to the News-Times
CARLISLE – The Junction City Dragons were handed a 77-68 loss in round one of the Class 2A State Tournament Tuesday night, thanks mostly to a well-rounded performance by Quitman.
Aside from the first quarter when Junction City capitalized on its size advantage, Quitman controlled this game.
The Bulldogs, a four seed from the Central Regional, trailed 14-9 at the end of the first period.
However, competing in front of a loud contingent of fans who made the trip to Carlisle, the Bulldogs settled down in the second quarter. Also, the Dragons (17-9) received a blow when one of its post players, Charles Hoof, got in foul trouble.
Without the athletic 6-4 rim-protector in the paint, Quitman began to gain some rhythm on offense.
Once that started, the Bulldog fans got into the contest. Suddenly it seemed like the Dragons, champion of the South Regional, were playing a road game.
Behind 10 second-quarter points from Zac Shue, Quitman surged past the Dragons to carry a 37-29 lead into the intermission.
In the third, Junction City would trail by as many as 14 points before it stormed back, cutting deep into the Quitman lead.
Late in the quarter, the Dragons, due to playing with aggression and speeding up the game, reduced the Bulldog advantage to 48-45 after Harlandus Frazier scored on an offensive put-back.
However, Junction City was unable to tie or take the lead. Instead, Quitman (25-8) scored four unanswered points to close out the quarter.
After three, the Dragons trailed 52-45. In the final quarter, Junction City did its best to derail Quitman.
The Dragons pulled to within 63-59 of the Bulldogs with just under three minutes remaining when Ryan Allen made a shot in the paint.
However, Junction City was unable to get any closer.
In the last two minutes of the game, the Bulldogs were careful with the ball, they made just enough free throws, and they kept Junction City from scoring easy points. Those factors ultimately played a big role in Junction City losing 77-68.
Jerrodney Tubbs led the Dragons in scoring with 17 points and Hoof finished with 14.
For Quitman, Shue led the way with 18 and David Alvarez scored 11.