There was nothing quiet about Tuesday's crosstown rivalry between the Jefferson City Jays and the Helias Crusaders. It just took until the third quarter before either team finally made some noise.
The Crusaders overcame a 7-point deficit early in the third quarter and finished the quarter on a 20-4 run. That momentum, along with seven third-quarter turnovers by Jefferson City, carried Helias to a 62-53 win at Rackers Fieldhouse.
Helias coach Josh Buffington said junior Landon Harrison scored a "quiet" 35 points. If that's the case, he quietly took the second half by storm, scoring 22 points after halftime.
"He's a gamer. He's something else," Buffington said of Harrison.
Both teams struggled to put the ball in the hoop early on, with Helias clinging to an 8-7 lead after one quarter. The Jays held the lead for much of the second quarter, getting production inside from Rae'Quan Davis. The Jefferson City junior scored six points in the quarter - making two baskets over Helias' 6-foot-6 junior Nathan Bax - and finished the game with 20 points to lead the Jays.
Garrett Parker scored with :05 left in the first half to give Jefferson City a 27-26 lead at halftime.
"We did feel good about the start we got off to, from an intensity standpoint," Jefferson City coach Blair Thompson said. "We got everybody involved, we handled the pressure, we moved the basketball. We felt pretty good about the way that was going."
The Jays started the second half by getting back-to-back 3-pointers from Brennan Jeffries and Hudson Nilges, stretching their lead to 33-26. The 7-point edge was Jefferson City's largest lead of the game.
Bax struggled on the offensive end, making just one of his first seven shots. But his basket from the right block at the 5:50 mark of the third quarter finally got Helias' offense going.
"When we were down seven, Nathan called for the ball," Buffington said of Bax, who finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. "That was a turning point for us. We immediately picked it up."
The Crusaders scored seven points in just 34 seconds - adding a 3-pointer from Harrison followed by a layup from Nick Brandt - to tie the game at 33.
The Jays retook the lead with a basket by Davis, but they would go the next 8:23 without a field goal.
Helias outscored Jefferson City 13-2 to end the third quarter, holding the ball for the final 1:20. Harrison drove to the basket and was fouled at the buzzer, making both free throws to extend the Crusaders' lead to 46-37.
Helias' defense starting getting points off turnovers in the fourth quarter. Bax scored a basket after the Jays committed a turnover on their opening possession of the quarter and Harrison added a layup off a steal to push the lead to double digits at 50-39.
"Our defense is our offense, and we did a good job of throwing it ahead after we did pick them a few times," Buffington said. "It builds confidence when you can get easy baskets."
Harrison inflated his point total in the fourth quarter, scoring Helias' final 10 points. He shot 12-of-19 from the field and made his final six shot attempts of the game.
"Trying to keep Landon in front of you is not an easy thing to do," Thompson said. "Once you think you get that figured out, then obviously he's good enough to pull up and knock down some shots."
Helias led by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter. Kamari Balton, who was not in the starting lineup due to a coach's decision, scored the Jays' last four points to trim the final deficit to single digits.
Balton and Ben Folz each added seven points for Jefferson City.
With Tuesday's win, Helias has won nine of the last 11 meetings against Jefferson City during the past nine seasons, which also includes a pair of matchups in the Great 8 Classic. Ten of those meetings have been decided by 10 points or less.
"I have a lot of respect for Blair, he does a great job with his team year in and year out," Buffington said. "It's a tremendous environment and I honestly think it's one of the best rivalry basketball games in the state at any level.
"You get more calls and texts the day of and the day after this game from friends and alumni than you do any other game of the year, including the playoffs some years."
Helias (12-2, ranked No. 4 in Class 4 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association) will face Waynesville on Saturday in the Camdenton Shootout. Game time is 6 p.m.
Jefferson City (6-9) will host Rolla next Tuesday at Fleming Fieldhouse.
Helias won the JV game 48-39, holding off a Jays' comeback in the second half. Jake VanLoo led Helias (6-1) with 12 points, while Jerry Jackson had a game-high 18 points for Jefferson City (2-5).
The Crusaders started the evening with a 48-40 win against the Jays in the freshman game.