It took a quarter, but the Jefferson City Lady Jays kicked it into gear.
With Hannah Nilges leading the way, the Lady Jays tossed in 20 points in the second quarter on their way to a 51-30 victory Tuesday night against the Francis Howell Vikings at Fleming Fieldhouse.
"We needed to amp up our energy," Jefferson City coach Brad Conway said. "I don't think it was terrible in the first quarter, but we needed to prove we could kick it into another gear."
The Lady Jays led 10-2 after one quarter, forcing eight Viking turnovers in the eight minutes.
"I was kind of expecting a slow start, there was a lot of adrenaline," Conway said.
After scoring its lone basket midway through the first quarter, the Vikings didn't get their next points for nearly six minutes.
That's when Nilges took over. The sophomore hit consecutive baskets to push Jefferson City's lead to 15. She then hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions late in the half, the second giving the Lady Jays a 29-8 advantage.
It was 30-10 in favor of Jefferson City at the half.
"We got up and down the floor pretty well and I think they were getting tired," Conway said.
The Lady Jays did not turn the ball over in the second quarter. And while the Vikings turned it over just twice in the quarter, they were just 3-of-8 from the field against a stifling Lady Jays' defense.
"We wanted to create some stuff with our defense and I think we did a good job with it," Conway said. "We were pretty solid defensively in the first half."
Jefferson City opened the third quarter with a 9-2 run. Kara Daly then hit consecutive baskets to close the quarter for the Lady Jays, who took a 47-16 advantage into the final eight minutes.
Conway pulled his starters very early in the fourth quarter, getting his reserves some playing time.
"It was a good opportunity for them, they practice hard every day," he said. "It was a good chance to see what those kids could do against varsity players."
Nilges finished with 12 points to lead three Lady Jays in double figures.
"We have kids that can score," Conway said. "We like that balance so other teams can't get locked in on just one or two people on defense against us."
Caitlin Anderson and Greta Haarmann finished with 10 points each. Haarmann paced Jefferson City with five rebounds.
Taylor Russell finished with 12 points to lead Francis Howell, which finished with 23 turnovers.
Jefferson City (1-0) will host Rolla, ranked No. 8 in Class 4, on Monday.
"They're mainly juniors and freshmen, but they can play," Conway said.
The JV game will start at 6 p.m., with the varsity to follow around 7:30 p.m.
In the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association initial rankings released Tuesday, Jefferson City is No. 3 in Class 5 behind Kickapoo and North Kansas City.
"If we stay healthy, we can be a top team," Conway said. "But it's a long season.
"It's nice to get that recognition for the school and for the kids. But you still have to go out and play."
In Tuesday night's JV game, Jefferson City topped Francis Howell 45-32.