Jays open season with 58-36 win vs. Smith-Cotton

Rae'Quan Davis of the Jays goes up for a layup during Tuesday night's game against Sedalia Smith-Cotton at Fleming Fieldhouse.
Rae'Quan Davis of the Jays goes up for a layup during Tuesday night's game against Sedalia Smith-Cotton at Fleming Fieldhouse.

The 3-pointers weren't falling in the first quarter but they were in the second, and that gave the Jefferson City Jays the cushion they needed Tuesday night.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Hudson Nilges helped propel a 19-2 run in the second quarter for the Jays, who opened the season with a 58-36 win against Sedalia Smith-Cotton at Fleming Fieldhouse.

"We took better 3s," said Jefferson City coach Mark Anderson, who got his first win with the Jays. "I think Hudson got a couple 3s and obviously you always like it when he's shooting it. But it's off ball reversal or penetrate and kick as opposed to the first quarter where it was just a lot of swing the ball swing the ball and settle for a 3."

Jefferson City shot 1-of-6 from beyond the arc in the first eight minutes.

A 6-0 lead turned into an 9-8 deficit in the first minute of the second quarter following a Smith-Cotton steal and Kardell Sims two-handed dunk.

The Tigers made it 11-8 on their next possession before the Jays took over with 19-2 run that started with two Garrett Parker free throws with 6:23 left before halftime and was capped off by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Ben Folz.

The Jays made 3-of-4 from deep in the second quarter.

"We had a stretch in the first half where we shot too many 3s," Anderson said. "We needed to get the ball inside some. We needed to remember that's part of our identity."

What also turned it around for Jefferson City was attacking the basket, scoring off turnovers and better rebounding.

A Rae'Quan Davis second-chance bucket made it 20-13 midway through the second quarter, and Jared Cooper and Folz each added a layup. Folz's bucket followed a steal.

The Jays were us 27-13 by halftime and 43-21 heading into the fourth quarter.

A Nilges steal and layup extended plus a Charlie Wehmeyer 3-pointer following a Smith-Cotton turnover made it 53-27 with 3:04 left.

The Tigers turned it over eight times in the second half as the Jays put pressure on the young Tiger lineup.

"They are going to be a very good basketball team down the road, but they looked like they might struggle against pressure," Anderson said.

Nilges finished with 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range.

Davis led the Jays with 16 points, Folz added nine and Parker had eight. DaMani Jarrett had 10 rebounds to lead Jefferson City. Cooper added seven board from a guard spot.

"I thought for the most part we did a nice job of crashing the defensive glass," Anderson said. "We can probably block out a little bit better from time to time."

Jefferson City (1-0) will host Northwest Academy of Law on Dec. 1.