NEW CASTLE, Ky. — It was one of the lowest final scores in a regional championship in some time.

But Tuesday night’s Eighth Region boys basketball title game featured stout defense as Woodford County beat Collins, 44-21 at Henry County High School.

What fans got instead was stout defense .

Woodford County survived — the operative word in this one — Collins to punch a ticket to next week’s KHSAA Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena in Lexington. It’s the Yellow Jackets’ first Sweet 16 appearance since 1986, the only other time the program has made it this far.

“It feels great,” regional tournament MVP Jasper Johnson said.

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Johnson scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets. Fifteen of those points came in the second half after Woodford County found a way to convert all of Collins’ missed shots into transition attacks.

The Yellow Jackets (20-12), who have won 15 of their last 18, made four straight buckets and five of their first six shots in the second half, turning a 12-10 deficit into an insurmountable 22-12 lead.

“I think it was a 14-2 run and we had good shots and weren’t making them,” Titans coach Chris Gaither said after a long postgame huddle with his players in the locker room. “That’s how explosive Woodford County can be. They’re really good offensively and defensively.”

Johnson, who averaged 21.1 points entering the game, said the difference after halftime was improved offensive movement in the second half. Makhi Smith scored after a steal in transition and converted the foul shot for a three-point play and Johnson drilled a deep jumper flying around a screen at the elbow, igniting the decisive run.

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From there, it was all Woodford County defense.

Collins (26-8) shot 29.4% in the first half (5 of 17) and then just 12% (3 of 25) in the second half. The Titans’ leading scorers this season — Kenyon Goodin (4 of 16), Quentin Simmons (0 of 8) and Isaiah Cochran (2 of 8) — combined to shoot just 18.8%.

“We do that to other teams with our defense,” Gaither said.

“They’re a really good defensive team. What they were able to do with North Oldham (holding them to 41 points) and what they were able to do against us, they had a lot to do with it.”

That Goodin, who came in averaging 19.1 points per game, was held to just eight points after scoring six in the first half further doomed the Titans. Collins, despite the pressure, turned the ball over just six times but couldn’t make any sort of run offensively.

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“They guard you so well one-on-one, and if you don’t break them down off the dribble well, it makes it even tighter,” Gaither said. “Running your sets, trying to set back screens and get movement, it’s even challenging because they’re hugging and they’re physical.”

Santonio Waide added 13 points for Woodford and Smith chipped in eight points and seven rebounds.

Woodford County faces Sixth Region champion Jeffersontown in the first round of the Sweet 16 at 11 a.m. on March 15.

COLLINS                               4              8              5              4 -  21

WOODFORD COUNTY    4              6              16           18 -  44

Collins (26-8) – Quentin Simmons 2, Kiya Ledford 2, Isaiah Cochran 7, Kenyon Goodin 8, Darius Evans 2.

Woodford County (20-12) – Santonio Waide 13, Makhi Smith 8, Jasper Johnson 17, Aden Nelson 2, Ethan Johnson 2, Carson Probst 2.

Follow assistant sports editor Jake Adams on Twitter @jakeadams520 or email him at jadams@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAA basketball Sweet 16: Woodford County wins 8th Region championship