Jefferson Slows, But Can’t Stop Iowa City West

By Jason Brummond, Reporter

Tools

By James Steward

Story Created: Feb 3, 2012 at 11:54 PM CDT

Story Updated: Feb 3, 2012 at 11:54 PM CDT

IOWA CITY – The tempo changed at the start of the second half. Soon everything else in this game did.

No. 1 Iowa City West stormed back to overcome a 12-point deficit in the third quarter with a tormenting full-court press defense in a 48-35 win Saturday night against Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

The Trojans (17-0, 12-0 Mississippi Valley Conference), who scored only 10 points in the first half, shot 50 percent from the field in the second half with easy transition baskets off 15 turnovers.

“We know they were going to slow it down and we came out just awful on offense,” West High coach Steve Bergman said. “We got some pressure on them (in the second half) and it bothered them.”

Jefferson (11-6, 7-5) trailed 30-27 early in the fourth quarter when West High’s Jeremy Morgan hit a 3-pointer to spark a 13-3 run over a three-minute stretch. The J-Hawks went nearly eight minutes without a field goal until they hit a 3-pointer with less than two minutes remaining.

Dondre Alexander led West High with 10 points. Alexander hit a pull-up jumper to give West High its first lead of the game, 25-24 with 2:45 left in the third quarter.

The Trojans, who rank second in Class 4A with 70 points per game, weren’t accustomed to the tepid pace or tight contest. West High had averaged a 25-point margin in its last seven games, including a 68-48 win Tuesday against No. 7 Dubuque Senior.

“It’s what we need,” Bergman said of the tight game. “We have to learn from it.”

The analysis was simple for Jefferson coach Stu Ordman. His team controlled tempo early, playing patient and smart. He knew West High would ratchet up the pace in the second half.

“Instead of managing that well,” Ordman said of the pressure, “we had 15 second-half turnovers and that probably led to 30 second-half points.”

Taylor Olson scored eight of Jefferson’s last 12 points in the final 4 ½ minutes of the second quarter to give the J-Hawks a 20-10 lead at halftime.

The game was tied at 8-8 with less than five minutes in the first half when Olson drove the baseline and ducked under the hoop for a reverse lay-in. He was fouled and made the free throw.

Olson attacked the basket on Jefferson’s next possession, converting another three-point play.

Olson led the J-Hawks with 12 points.

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