The Jefferson City Lady Jays controlled the glass Monday night against the Helias Lady Crusaders.
They used that dominance to control the game.
The Lady Jays outrebounded the Lady Crusaders by 15, often extending offensive possessions while forcing Helias into one-and-done trips on the other end, on their way to a 45-29 victory at Rackers Fieldhouse.
"Coming in here, we knew we were in for a fight," Jefferson City coach Brad Conway said. "The kids rose to the challenge."
On the other side, the Lady Crusaders struggled to get much done after bouncing back from a slow start to the season to win four of their last five games.
"We just couldn't get in sync tonight, we couldn't do the things that have made us successful recently," Helias coach Alan Lepper said. "But the credit goes to them, they're the No. 1 team in Class 5 for a reason. They took us out of what we wanted to do and did what they wanted to do."
Both teams got off to a slow start Monday night as the first quarter ended with Jefferson City holding a 6-2 lead.
"We didn't value our possessions, we were sloppy in trying to make something when something wasn't there," Conway said. "I'm sure the adrenaline was pumping a little bit, but we settled in the second quarter."
An 8-0 run midway through the second quarter pushed Jefferson City's lead to 21-6. The Lady Jays led 25-9 at the half.
"Defensively, we had some good stops, especially in the first half," Conway said.
Helias finished just 1-of-15 from the field in the first half, the lone bucket a 3-pointer by Ashley Rehagen with 1:49 remaining in the second quarter.
"The kids were loose before the game, but I think the crosstown rival stuff got to them when the game started," Lepper said. "We had a good game-plan, but I didn't do a very good job of getting us to execute it."
Defensively, Helias played a zone in an attempt to force Jefferson City to shoot 3s. The Lady Jays struggled from distance, going just 3-of-14 in the game, but the Lady Crusaders just couldn't get enough rebounds off those misses.
The Lady Crusaders were hampered inside as starting forward Erin Wyrick sat out the game.
"That's not an excuse, but Erin is not afraid to go in there and get physical," Lepper said. "They just out-muscled us tonight. We have a hard time beating strength and height right now."
The Lady Crusaders regrouped and played better in the third quarter. Helias started the second half with a 9-2 spurt to cut Jefferson City's lead to single digits at 27-18.
"We started to play a little better as a group," Lepper said.
But a 3-pointer by Lexy Haug and a putback by Micah Linthacum pushed Jefferson City's lead back to 14. Linthacum later hit two free throws with :04.8 left in the quarter as Jefferson City took a 34-23 advantage into the final period.
Jefferson City led by as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Linthacum, a sophomore playing just her third game of the season after an injury, finished with a game-high 15 points.
"It was the best of the three games so far for Micah," Conway said. "She was under control when she got the ball and was putting up good shots and making good passes."
Caitlin Anderson added 10 points, while Lexy Haug had a solid game for the Lady Jays, totaling a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with eight points.
"She hits a few shots, she got some assists, she's solid on the defensive end, she does a little bit of everything," Conway said.
Jefferson City was 17-of-48 from the field in the game.
"Unfortunately, we're having a hard time putting the ball in the hole," Conway said. "We're missing a lot of point-blank stuff and some free throws.
"We have time to take care of that, but we need to start making them when we're getting good looks. We know we're going to come around."
The Lady Jays (15-1) host Webster Groves on Thursday.
"After that, we're going to have a little breather in the schedule and it will give us a chance to work on things," Conway said.
Helias (6-9) is back in action Thursday against Parkway North in the opening round of the Lebanon Tournament. Game time is 7:30 p.m. The tournament runs through Saturday.
In Monday's JV game, Helias topped Jefferson City 43-41 in overtime. Rylee Kolb had nine points to pace Helias, while Marshi Baird finished with a game-high 13 for the Lady Jays.
In the freshman game, Helias downed Jefferson City 46-32. Emily Harrison had 12 points for the Lady Crusaders (9-3). Laurine Shoki totaled 22 points to lead the Lady Jays.
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