IOWA CITY - Sometimes an unlikely hero can appear out of nowhere to propel a team to victory.

On Tuesday night, Washington received its improbable heroics from Heath Clark.

Late in the fourth quarter, Clark came off the bench and netted eight quick points, propelling the Warriors past Iowa City High, 59-48, at the City High gym.

The win was the Warriors' fifth straight.

In a back and forth game, Washington was never able to distance itself from the pesky Little Hawks, as there were several lead changes throughout the first 3-1/2 quarters.

But with four minutes remaining in the game and Washington leading 41-38, Clark made his mark in a huge way.

The big man nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key, and the very next possession he drained another from deep, giving the Warriors a much needed boost. He laid in a tough bucket on their next possession to put Washington out in front for good.

“Heath was outstanding for us,” said Washington Coach Adam Sanchez. “It is hard for a guy to sit as long as he has, and then come in and basically give us the boost to win the game. When he gets into the game in those situations as a big guy, he can stretch the floor for us. That was big.”

Clark, nicknamed “tiny” by his team, didn’t see much action in the first half, but he delivered when it counted.

“I got in late, stepped up and hit a couple shots to give us the lead and our team did the rest,” said Clark. “I get in and want to be strong with the ball, and I always look to shoot.”

Both teams started sluggishly, as Washington led 12-11 after the first quarter. City High employed a stingy full-court press, which the Warriors struggled against at times, but Washington was able to maintain some consistency and take a 24-20 lead into the half.

“I wasn’t happy in the first half,” said Sanchez, “But I think we did a better job in the second half of not committing silly fouls, and we did a better job at guarding their tendencies and taking those away.”

The Warriors (6-14, 6-9) played tough defense throughout the night, disrupting the Little Hawks' leading scorers and forcing them into several difficult shots.

“Everybody was helping each other and stepping over and taking charges,” said Clark. “Our defense was great.”

Washington forced City High (7-13, 3-12) to commit eight second half turnovers, and were able to hold the lead that Clark gave them down the stretch.

Sanchez was pleased about his team’s effort, and looks for them to continue to hound foes going down the road.

“Defensively during our winning streak we have been outstanding and that just continued tonight.”

WASHINGTON (59): Holmes 0 0-2 0, Bergstrom 3 7-9 14, Taylor 5 0-2 10, Oney 4 0-0 9, Kramer 3 3-3 12, Rosenthal 3 0-0 6, Clark 3 0-0 8, Anderson 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 10-16 59.

IOWA CITY HIGH (48): Perry 5 0-2 10, Hein 1 0-0 2, Chester 4 6-6 15, Spears 2 0-0 4, Young 1 0-0 2, Craig 3 0-0 6, Taylor 2 0-0 6, Rouabhi 1 0-0 3. Totals 19 6-8 48.

Halftime - Washington 24, City High 20. 3-point field goals - Washington 7 (Kramer 3, Clark 2, Oney, Bergstrom), City High 4 (Taylor 2, Chester, Rouabhi).