The odd-numbered quarters were not good to the Jefferson City Jays on Tuesday night.
The even-numbered quarters, however, they dominated those 16 minutes.
Jefferson City combined to score 52 points in the second and fourth quarters. After giving up a 12-point lead in the third quarter, they bounced back and pulled away to a 73-65 win against the Rolla Bulldogs at Fleming Fieldhouse.
"The good thing is we haven't played four complete quarters of basketball," Jays coach Tony Phillips said.
The bad part of the first quarter was the Jays' struggles on defensive rebounding. Rolla scored three putbacks on offensive rebounds to help build a 17-11 lead through the first eight minutes.
"I don't think we were putting in the effort to get in position (to rebound)," Phillips said. "Our margin for error is not great, because we're all about 6-foot-2, and we're not going to win a lot of jumping contests."
The 3-point shooting was also a struggle in the early going for Jefferson City, which missed its first five attempts beyond the arc. However, when Sterling DeSha made a 3 from the top of the key late in the first quarter, that began a stretch of four consecutive makes from deep.
The fourth make, a 3 from the left wing by Keith Driver, put the Jays ahead 23-21 with 4:21 left in the second quarter.
The Jays shot 7-of-11 from 3 in the second quarter, which Phillips said was their best 3-point shooting quarter of the season. The long-distance shooting accounted for all but three of the team's points in the quarter.
"We shot it well for the first time at home," Phillips said. "We've been shooting lights out on the road."
DeSha hit a 3 from the top of the key with :20 left, then Kevion Pendelton knocked down a 3 at the buzzer to give Jefferson City a 35-26 halftime lead.
"It's nice to know you've got a kid like Kevion that isn't afraid to miss," Phillips said. "On a late possession like that, the ball doesn't have to be shot by Sterling."
Steven Samuels made a 3 on Jefferson City's opening possession of the second quarter, giving the Jays their largest lead of the game at 12 points.
However, Rolla answered with an 11-0 run in the next 2:57 to close the gap to 38-37.
"It was just a mental breakdown by our guys," Phillips said.
The Bulldogs retook the lead at 47-45 when Danny Foster hit a baseline jumper in the closing seconds of the third quarter.
When the fourth quarter began, DeSha went to work. The Jefferson City senior scored the team's first 11 points in the final quarter, and his back-to-back 3s put the Jays ahead 56-50 with 5:22 remaining.
"Sterling is our quiet leader, and the way he speaks, it's scoring those 11 points in the fourth quarter," Phillips said of DeSha, who scored 15 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth. "He'd get a steal and a score, he'd get an offensive rebound.
"I heard somebody - I couldn't remember if it was a coach or a player - say, 'Thank you, Sterling.'"
Prior to the game, DeSha was presented with a basketball commemorating his 1,000th career point scored during last Thursday's double-overtime loss to Logan-Rogersville in the Lebanon Hall of Fame Classic.
"Jefferson City basketball is very thankful for Sterling," Phillips said.
The Jays never trailed after retaking the lead in the fourth. The Bulldogs got within three points at 58-55 with 3:21 remaining, but DeSha scored a basket and Pendelton made a pair of free throws to cushion the lead.
Quinn Walker helped seal the win with a steal, then drove to the basket for a layup while drawing a foul. He made the free throw with 1:10 to play to make the score 67-59.
Pendelton, who made three 3s in the second quarter, joined DeSha in double figures in scoring with 13 points.
The Jays committed just four turnovers - none in the second and fourth quarters - in the win, shooting 25-of-59 from the floor.
"If we would've done a better job defensively on the glass, if we could've had more one-and-dones, we have a bigger lead," Phillips said. "But we're working on it."
Rolla (6-7), playing its first game since Jan. 8, had four players score in double figures. Evan Colench scored 17 points of five 3-pointers, while Patrick Blair finished with 16 points. Danny Foster and Trey Brown added 15 and 13 points, respectively.
Jefferson City (7-11), which has won three in a row, plays next Tuesday at Rock Bridge.
"We're getting there," Phillips said. "We have to learn how to play with leads without getting passive."
The Jays opened Tuesday's doubleheader with a 55-17 victory in the JV game, outscoring the Bulldogs 20-0 in the second quarter.
Tripp Maassen led Jefferson City with 17 points. Ryan Spraggs and Chris Harris finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.