The first words used by Johnson coach Jeff Steele to describe his team’s effort in a difficult second-round playoff loss to Sandy Creek were character and heart. The Knights (24-6) managed to pull back even from a seven-point deficit late in the fourth quarter and sent a physical battle into overtime, only to fall in a heartbreaker, 83-80. “To come back from seven down with only 53 seconds to play says everything about this team,” said Steele, who led the Knights to their second straight Region 8-AAAA title in 2014.