The Jefferson Blue Jays Boys Varsity Basketball team (1-3) didn’t get the start they wanted this season, but they had a chance to grab a big win Tuesday night when they took on the Potosi Warriors (1-2). The Blue Jays proved to be the better team from the tip, jumping out to a big lead and not letting go until the final buzzer, cementing the win 60 to 43.
The Blue Jays didn’t start the season well, losing three straight games, but grabbed their first win last time out against Herculaneum. This next match featured a new opponent for Jefferson in Potosi. The two schools haven’t played a game together since the 2013-14 season, a game Potosi won 59-41.
Jefferson didn’t look like a team with three losses to start the game, putting up 18 points in the first quarter and 19 in the second to take a commanding lead at the half. It was a big first half for Senior Colby Ott, who had 12 first-half points to lead the Blue Jays in scoring.
The third quarter saw Jefferson stumble out of the gate a bit, allowing the Warriors to close their deficit dramatically, as they held the Blue Jays to just four points in the quarter. The Blue Jays put all doubts about the game to bed in the fourth though with another strong offensive output to grab a 60-43 win.
Head Coach Sean Breeze praised Potosi following the game, but said his team did an even better job keeping them at bay.
“Potosi is a strong team and made a few runs throughout the rest of the game, but we were able to hold them off,” Breeze said. “I was proud of our boys’ ability to withstand their pressure.”
Ott finished the game as the Blue Jays leading scorer, despite having a quiet second half. He ended with 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting, chipping in five rebounds, four assists and six steals.
Colton Richardson had a standout performance for Jefferson, finishing just shy of a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds. Richardson shot 4-of-13 from the field and added two assists, two blocks and a steal to his tally.
Richardson was proud of the Blue Jays’ ability to play as a team and secure the win.
“I thought we played really well as a group in this game,” Richardson said. “With the group of guys we have this year, we are a very fast-paced team, and it seems to really help us turn our defense into offense.”
Daylen Whitener’s scoring output was key to the Blue Jay success, finishing with 11 points on an efficient 5-of-9 from the field. Whitener contributed three assists, two steals and two rebounds to his box score as well.
After the game, Whitener said that the Blue Jays explosive start is what led to the win.
“We started off really good in the first quarter, hitting all our shots,” Whitener said. “We started to struggle a bit in the second half, but we were still able to hold them to get the win.”
Now ( 2-3) this year, the Blue Jays will look to even their record on Tuesday, December 22, against the St. Vincent Indians (3-0). The Blue Jays and Indians faced off earlier in the season with St. Vincent winning the contest 58 to 32.
