COLUMBIA - It didn't take long for this one to get out of control.
The Jefferson City Lady Jays raced out to a 25-point lead by halftime and went on to rout Sedalia Smith-Cotton 55-15 in the first round of the Class 5 District 9 Tournament.
The fourth-seeded Lady Jays were up 13-4 after one quarter on the fifth-seeded Lady Tigers and made it 31-6 by halftime. After three quarters, it was 42-12.
"We played very well defensively," Jefferson City coach Dan Ridgeway said. "And on offense we were very unselfish and moved the ball around well."
It showed in the production, as nine of the 10 Jefferson City players scored. Kezia Martin led the way with 12 points, while Nicole Martin had nine and Tayler LePage added eight.
The Lady Jays (12-14) now have their work cut out for them in the district semifinals, as they'll take on the top team in the district, and in all of Class 5, in the Rock Bridge Bruins (21-3). Game time is 6 p.m. Thursday at Rock Bridge.
"We know what we're up against," Ridgeway said. "We just have to go compete and work hard on every possession, on offense and defense."