Jefferson City post players Chris Helming and Brenden Hoener are used to subbing in and out for each other. By late in Saturday afternoon's game against Poplar Bluff, the Jays needed both on the floor at the same time.
"We were getting beat on the boards bad," Jays coach Tony Phillips said.
And it was getting difficult to stop Poplar Bluff big man Luke Becker. With both Jay bigs in to start the fourth quarter, Jefferson City stopped getting beat inside and the Jays were able to pull away for a 71-57 win at Fleming Fieldhouse on Senior Day.
The victory followed Tuesday's 67-62 defeat at Helias when the Jays let a 22-point lead slip away.
"You don't know how you'll respond and I thought they responded well," Phillips said.
Neither team led by more than seven until the fourth quarter.
The Mules led 16-15 after the first quarter on a Jeridon Young steal and layup in the final seconds.
To close out the first half, Joseph Hardimon drained a deep 3-pointer before the buzzer to give Poplar Buff a 30-28 edge.
The game began to shift in the Jays' favor by late in the third quarter. Brennan Jeffries, one of seven seniors for Jefferson City, fed Keith Driver on a kick-out for a corner 3 to take a 45-43 lead entering the fourth quarter.
"We've been stressing about moving the ball," Phillips said. "Don't let it stick."
The Jays dominated from there, scoring the first seven points of the fourth quarter, including the first of two fourth-quarter tip-ins by Helming, a senior.
"When a kid like Chris Helming has his moment, it's fun as a coach to see," Phillips said. "For four years he's put in the work. He doesn't miss the weight room. If you have an open gym, he's there."
Helming had eight points and four rebounds while Hoener finished with four points and four rebounds to help the Jays outrebound the Mules 21-14 in the second half.
"I came in and I wrote rebounding, turnovers," Phillips said of the halftime discussion. "These two things are holding us back. I thought we made an adjustment in the second half."
Sterling DeSha fueled the Jays' offense to keep the margin growing, scoring 11 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter.
Jeffries, who was also honored for surpassing 1,000 points in his career during the game against Helias, tallied 17 points. Kaidyn Johnson, a senior, had 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
"They've done everything I've asked," Phillips said of the seniors. "They're great kids."
Becker finished with 15 points and seven rebounds to lead the Mules.
Jefferson City (10-11) has a quick turnaround, hosting Parkview on Monday. The Jays then play Thursday at Waynesville and host Rockhurst on Friday to close out the regular season.
The Jays are seeded third in the Class 5 District 9 Tournament at Battle. They'll face the second-seeded host Spartans at 7 p.m. March 5.
Rock Bridge is the top seed, Sedalia Smith-Cotton is the No. 4 seed and Hickman is the No. 5 seed.