University Heights Academy dropped its third straight game that came down to the final possession Saturday, falling to Warren Central 80-77 in overtime at Blazer Gym.
The back-and-forth contest had enough up and downs to make a seesaw get motion sickness. The first half featured five ties as K.J. Crump buried a 3-pointer ahead of the halftime horn for a 40-33 Blazer lead at the break.
Six different players scored in the third quarter for Warren Central, who tied the game at 53 with eight minutes left in regulation.
The fourth quarter featured four lead changes and three ties. UHA’s largest lead of the quarter was a 62-59 advantage with four minutes left.
The Dragons countered with a 9-1 run to take the first of two different five-point leads.
Down 70-65 with a minute left, D.J. Quarles’ bucket drew the Blazers to within three points. Following a Warren Central turnover, K.J. Crump buried a 3-pointer with 32 seconds left to tie the game.
With Warren Central looking to take the final shot, Quarles came up with a steal and raced the length of the floor. His runner ahead of the final horn hit off the back iron, and the game went to overtime.
Omari Glover scored eight of his 12 points in the overtime period, including consecutive buckets to break a 75-all tie.
Down three, UHA got one final look to tie the game, but Crump’s contested 3-pointer missed in the final seconds of overtime.
Crump led the Blazers with 24 points, including five 3-pointers. D. J. Quarles added 20 points and six assists, and Amani McGee scored 19 points.
Jace Carver led the Dragons with 19 points.
UHA capped a week that saw them fall to Lyon County 79-77 in the final seconds of the All A Classic quarterfinals. Friday, the Blazers lost by three to Madisonville, unable to get off a tying 3-point attempt.
The 1-5 start for UHA is their worst since 2014-15. The Blazers are scheduled to play at Muhlenberg County Thursday.
Warren Central 21 12 20 17 10– 80
University Heights 21 19 13 17 7– 77
Warren Central [1-1] – Carver 19, Walkup 17, Lawrence 14, Glover 12, Whitey 9, Farley 6, Villafuerte 3
University Heights [1-5] – Crump 24, D.J. Quarles 20, McGee 19, Bryan 4, Grubbs 3, Shouse 3, Q. Quarles 3, Braxton 1
