Huge second quarter keys Jefferson win
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Jefferson junior forward Bryce Deen lofts up a shot in the lane in Friday’s 61-38 victory over Worth County. Deen led the Eagles with 20 points.
Jefferson head coach Tim Jermain wouldn’t mind seeing future opponents play zone defense against his Eagles as long as the outcome would remain the same as it was Friday versus Worth County.
“If we would shoot that well every time, I would play against a zone any time,” Jermain said following a 29-point second-quarter outburst that keyed a 61-38 Jefferson victory over Worth County Friday night in Grant City.
Jefferson held a 10-6 lead entering the second quarter Friday, and Worth County switched to a 2-3 zone to give the Eagles a different defensive look in the second quarter. Playing against the zone was exactly what the doctor ordered for Jefferson to snap a two-game losing streak.
The Eagles outscored Worth County 29-8 in the decisive second quarter, including knocking down five three-pointers. Sophomore guard Michael Burch hit three three-pointers in the quarter and paced the Eagle offensive outburst with nine points. Junior forward Bryce Deen scored seven points, including a three-pointer at the buzzer to cap off the impressive offensive outburst. Junior guard Jason Sullivan scored five points in the quarter, including a three-pointer, as the Eagles raced to a 39-14 halftime lead.
“I think the team was excited to get back out and play after break,” Jermain said. “I felt like we played well in some spurts before Christmas, and I feel the same way about tonight. We played well in spurts, especially in the second quarter.”
Worth County went back to man-to-man defense in the second half, and actually outscored the Eagles 24-23 in the final 16 minutes of play.
Midway through the third quarter, the Tigers cut the Jefferson lead to 18, prompting Jermain to switch the Eagles from a man-to-man defense to a 3-2 zone, which effectively neutralized the Tigers and allowed Jefferson to stop the Worth County run.
“Worth County is really young, and by switching our defense up, we took advantage of their inexperience to slow down their momentum,” Jermain said. “They weren’t able to adjust right away to our zone.
“They (Worth County) are going to be good as their young players gain more experience.”
The Eagles, 6-3 on the season, were paced by Deen, who scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Burch finished the contest with 12 points, all coming via the three-point shot. Sullivan and sophomore post Caden Farnan added nine points each for the Eagles.
“We need to become more consistent, especially offensively,” Jermain said. “We’ve had spurts where we’ve played about as well as we can play, but we need to stretch those spurts out over an entire game.”
The Eagles are back in action at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6 when they host the undefeated Stanberry Bulldogs, currently ranked third in Missouri in Class 1 in the latest Missouri Basketball Coaches Association poll.
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Jefferson junior guard Jason Sullivan focuses in on the rim as he scores two of his nine points in Jefferson’s 61-38 win over Worth County Friday in Grant City.
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Jefferson junior forward Bryce Deen slips inside the defense of Worth County freshman Drake Kinsella to score two of his game-high 20 points as Jefferson defeated the Tigers 61-38 Friday at Grant City.
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Jefferson sophomore guard Grant Meyer discovers how physical the Worth County defense can be as he drives to the basket in Friday’s 61-38 Jefferson victory over the Tigers.
