This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Magna • West Jordan entered Tuesday's game on the road at Cyprus on a three-game losing streak, with two consecutive losses decided by two points.
So when the Jaguars found themselves down early, they could have buckled. Instead, they changed their approach and steadily pulled away for a 64-54 win to end the skid.
"I feel uncomfortable with you even talking about a losing streak," quipped West Jordan coach Scott Briggs when asked about the three-game stretch. "It was hard for our kids, and for us. We played three quality opponents, but at the end of the day, we were coming up on the short end. It's definitely nice to get a win."
Cyprus (2-3) came out firing from the perimeter, connecting on four of its first six attempts from beyond the arc, including two from guard Cody Meza to take an 14-10 lead early in the first quarter.
It was a correlation with an outside offensive philosophy that originally opened up through Josh Peck, a 6-foot-6 senior big who threw down a dunk on the second possession.
Peck's 3-pointer with 4:47 remaining in the first half furnished the largest lead for the Pirates, 21-14, but West Jordan responded with an 11-0 run to take the four point lead, with the majority of the buckets coming inside.
It was an drastic change in attack after the Jaguars (2-3) primarily were content with hoisting up jumpers against Cyprus' man-to-man defense, but after realizing they were cold, they made the adjustment and emphasized working possession into the block.
"From the beginning of the game, we wanted to establish ourselves inside," Briggs said. "They got a little trigger happy early, but we believe nine times out of 10, the team that is winning the paint is going to win the game."
The momentum carried over into the third quarter. West Jordan constructed a 39-28 lead with 2:37 left in the quarter after Darrian Nebeker finished a second-chance layup.
Cyprus managed only one transition 3-pointer for 7½ minutes as its hot touch displayed in the first eight minutes evaporated.
"They're good shooters and they're hard to guard," Briggs said. "When they were hitting them early, I think the tendency is you want to panic and change everything, but we just stuck with what we believe in, and that's contest those 3-point shots and hope they go in our favor."
West Jordan led 47-33 entering the final frame after Collin Larson connected on a buzzer-beating heave from deep downtown.
With the large cushion, West Jordan essentially picked and chose its opportunities in the fourth quarter, without the threat of a shot clock. The lack of offensive urgency allowed Cyprus to make a miniature run to pull within 58-50 with 1:37 remaining, but the final outcome was never truly in doubt.
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
Storylines
R West Jordan uses an 11-0 run in the second quarter to take control and break a three-game losing streak.
• Collin Larson (17), Davis Misrasi (12) and Darrian Nebeker (12) all score in double figures for the Jaguars.
• Cody Meza (14), Brooks Marshall (12) and Josh Peck (10) lead the Pirates in scoring.