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An early tipoff in the Utah Autism Holiday Classic at Olympus High was no justification for West Jordan's slow start. The Jaguars flatlined on the offensive end, missing several clean looks and gimmes at the rim.
Falling behind early is usually the formula for disaster for youthful programs inexperienced with escaping cold stretches, and without an established, dependable threat — it looked as if Highland would dictate its pace from the onset until, trailing by three points in the second quarter, the Jaguars discovered their shooting touch and pieced together a game-defining burst in what evolved into a dominant 69-43 win on Tuesday.
"They had to start at the same time as us, and they started pretty good, so I don't think so," said West Jordan coach Scott Briggs, downplaying the 11:30 a.m. tip. … "They're a really hard team to guard. We had a hard time with that, but had a good second quarter. I think it's always easier to play with a lead. The fact that we got a little bit of a lead probably changed the game quite a bit. We're happy with how we played."
West Jordan, which has a rich history of basketball success, improved to 7-1 on the seaso, one year after posting a 7-16 record. Ten different players contributed to the scoring total, lead by Davis Misrasi, who earned a team-high 16 points, and Collin Larsen, who dropped 13 points.
"That is a strength of ours," Briggs said of the balanced attack. "We don't have one or two guys that if you shut them down, you're going to take them away. I think that's our strength. We don't have a superstar, but I think we have a lot of pretty good players."
Briggs specifically touched on Larsen's growth. The junior, devoid of height, has adjusted his ability to react to aggressive approaches from opponents on the defensive end of the floor.
"That's a hard-nosed defensive team that tries to play physical with you," Briggs said. "Even last spring, those kind of teams would get him out of his element a little bit, and it just shows that he's growing up and getting better because it doesn't rattle him like it used to."
Rick Schmidt and Will Trice combined for Highland's first 17 points of the game. Trice's uncontested 3-pointer at the top of the key provided the Rams (5-3) the comfort of a 15-12 lead with 6:48 in the second period. West Jordan responded with a 10-0 run before entering the lockers for intermission with an 11-point lead.
The Jaguars' advantage ballooned to as many as 29 points in the fourth quarter.
"We probably fortunate they missed a couple shots that they usually hit," Briggs said. "I think they're also dealing with some injuries and some other things that took place. I don't think we got them at full strength, but we'll take the win. It's a quality win for us. I thought we rebounded really well today, and ran the floor."
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
Storylines
West Jordan overcomes slow start in an eventual rout against Highland.
The Jaguars improved to 7-1 this season after finish last year with an overall record of 7-16.
Davis Misrasi scored 16 points and Collin Larsen added 13 points, while West Jordan led by as many as 29 points.