Tim Nahach knows what his role is.
The Jefferson City junior played a major one in leading the way for the Jays on Tuesday
Coming off the bench, Nahach scored seven points and pulled down four offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter as Jefferson City captured its fifth win in six games by claiming a 55-51 victory against the Battle Spartans at Fleming Fieldhouse.
"He's a hustle guy, he's going to tie up jump balls, he's going to keep balls alive on the offensive end and he's going to get some junk points," Jefferson City head coach Blair Thompson said. "Every team needs one of those guys. He's been ours this year."
Nahach converted on a three-point play that gave Jefferson City (8-6) a 54-49 lead with 43 second to play and also sank all three free throws he attempted in the final quarter to help the Jays hold off the Spartans.
"I don't want to be passive on offense," Nahach said. "But I see my self as a hustle player."
O.G. Anunoby scored 19 points and Kamari Balton added 17 for the Jays, who were coming off a 61-49 loss Saturday to Francis Howell in the title game of the Kaminsky Classic in Joplin.
"To bounce back with a win at home is a really positive thing for us," Thompson said. "We had some guys really step up."
Battle (5-7) opened the fourth quarter with a 43-42 lead, but Jefferson City went on a 6-0 run that was capped with a layup by Nahach with 5:42 to play.
Hadaunte Sutton and Parley Jenkins hit back-to-back 3s to tie the game at 49 with 2:37 left, but Rhylin Spence knocked down a jumper and Nahach converted on his three-point play on the next possession as the Jays improved to 4-2 in games that have been decided by six points or less.
"That's a really big win," Nahach said. "We just lost in the championship game in the Joplin Tournament. It's good to rebound back from a tough game and get a win on our home floor."
Battle led by as many as six with 5:42 to play in the third, but Anunoby answered with a deep 3 and a 360 dunk on a fast break to help spark a 7-0 run to give Jefferson City a one-point lead.
Anunoby, who was held to six points in two different games in the Kaminsky Classic while battling an illness, felt it was up to him to give the Jays a boost.
"I was thinking about doing a between-the-legs dunk, a windmill or a 360," Anunoby said. "I realized I liked to do between the legs coming from the other side of the basket, and the same with the windmill. I just said I'll do a 360.
"Everyone is used to me doing that regular one-handed dunk. I thought I should do something different."
Balton scored 11 first-quarter points on 4-of-6 shooting to help give Jefferson City a 17-14 advantage after the opening period. Daviante Ostrander did his part for Battle, scoring nine of his game-high 20 points in the the first quarter to keep the Spartans within striking distance.
"The first quarter is always my best quarter," Balton said. "I was kind of feeling it."
Both teams struggled in the second quarter, combining for five field goals and nine turnovers, but the Jays were able to maintain a 22-21 lead entering the third.
"We came out strong, but we dropped off a little bit in the second quarter," Anunoby said. "We got a little stagnant. We weren't hitting shots, we weren't attacking."
Jadaunte Sutton added 13 points for the Spartans, who were 9-of-45 from the field and 10-of-21 from beyond the arc.
"I was just overall pleased with our defensive effort," Thompson said. "I thought we played hard. While they made some shots - a lot of them were deep, contested shots."
Jefferson City will try to continue its winning ways when the Jays take on Pacific at 6:15 p.m. Sunday in the MFA Oil-Break Time Shootout at Mizzou Arena.
After going through a stretch where Jefferson City lost five straight games, the Jays have bounced back to win five of their last six while improving to 8-6 at the midway point of the season.
"The first half of the year for us was sorting through our personnel and putting different guys out there in different lineups," Thompson said. "A lot of teams go through that early. I know we certainly did. We have guys starting now that weren't on our roster to start the year.
"Guys have had to earn their spot, and as they've done that, they've really grown as players. Now as we get used to playing together, I think we'll continue to get better. That's a good place to be in."