The Helias Crusaders already knew they were starting Monday's game against the Blair Oaks Falcons at a disadvantage.
The Falcons have 6-foot-9 junior Luke Northweather, and the Crusaders couldn't come close to matching his height.
So when the second half began, Helias decided to play to its strength and speed up the game.
Helias scored 29 points in the third quarter, overcoming a 10-point deficit in the first half to beat Blair Oaks 72-61 in the opening game of the Joe Machens Fantastic Four Tournament at Fleming Fieldhouse.
"When we went in at halftime, we didn't like the pace of the game," Helias coach Joe Rothweiler said. "We knew if it was a half-court game, it was going to be impossible for us to guard Northweather for 32 minutes and have success.
"We knew we had to speed it up a bit and hope to create some turnovers, and just play a little bit faster."
Helias trailed 31-27 at halftime, but a 4-0 run in the final minute of the second quarter allowed the Crusaders to pull within four points of the lead.
"That really gave us some momentum going into the second half," Rothweiler said. "It let us know that we can bother them with some pressure."
Drew Schmidt and Malcolm Davis each knocked down a 3-pointer early in the third quarter, then Davis scored in transition on a pass from Joe Rembecki to put Helias ahead 37-35 with 5:10 to go in the quarter. It was Helias' first lead since 5-4.
"Their guard play is tremendous, and it's hard to replicate that in preparation for them," Blair Oaks coach Ryan Fick said. "You can't replicate that. They get downhill so well."
Then came the full-court pressure.
Davis and Desmond White combined for three straight steals and three straight layups in a 30-second span, which extended the Helias lead to 47-38.
"We came out of halftime with a lot of energy, and we just fought our way back," said White, who scored 13 of his game-high 28 points in the third quarter. "Our adrenaline was pumping."
Many of Helias' third-quarter points came in transition.
"We started getting defensive stops," White said. "When we're in transition, we're hard to stop."
Blair Oaks' Quinn Kusgen knocked down a 3 in the final minute of the third quarter, then Zach Herigon added a layup to cut the Helias lead to 56-51.
But Helias had its lead back to double digits at 61-51 when White made a 3 from the left wing with 5:58 to play. White shot 5-of-5 from 3, and the Crusaders were 11-of-17 as a team from beyond the arc.
"We shoot a lot of 3s in practice, so 11-of-17 is remarkable, but it doesn't surprise me because we get so many shots up in practice," Rothweiler said. "We took the type of shots today that we make in practice."
Rothweiler credited Helias' ball movement on offense, which led to 45 second-half points.
"When you can get the ball in the paint, kick it out and move it a little bit more, you're bound to get a good shot against good defensive teams," he said.
Blair Oaks closed the gap to 66-61, but the Falcons were unable to score in the game's final 3:32. Northweather scored the Falcons' last eight points, leading the way with 25 points and 13 rebounds.
By the end of the first quarter, Northweather already had six points and seven rebounds, as the Falcons led the Crusaders 17-12.
"There are times when we do a really good job of getting Luke the ball within the flow of our offense," Fick said.
Northweather's presence also affected many of Helias' early shot attempts in the lane.
"Maybe we should have gotten some broomsticks out and held them up 10 feet tall," Rothweiler said. " You're bound to be a little bit nervous going in against him."
Northweather and Kusgen scored all 14 Blair Oaks points in the second quarter. Kusgen added 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting.
"I tip my hat to Quinn Kusgen today, because he attacked the glass well and got the ball in the paint off the dribble," Fick said. "He's hard to guard, because if you give him a step to keep him out of the lane, he'll knock 3s downs."
Davis was the second part of Helias' 1-2 scoring punch. He finished with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting.
Helias (4-1) will play Father Tolton (4-0) - ranked No. 4 in Class 4 - at 2:30 p.m. today.
"It's going to be tough every night, but to get that first win takes a little bit of the pressure off," Rothweiler said.
Blair Oaks (4-2) will go against host Jefferson City (1-6) in the nightcap at 7:30 p.m. today.