It took over a half of basketball for Murphysboro to finally regain its form last Friday night.
The Red Devils, who hadn't played in two weeks, trailed 18-16 at halftime, but then came up with a big third quarter to grab a double digit lead and beat Massac County, 53-43.
Murphysboro (21-2, 6-0 SIRR Ohio Division) went just 5-for-24 from the field, including a 2-for-11 performance from long range, in the first half on their way to the two-point halftime deficit.
"I think not playing for two weeks had a lot to do with that, and (Massac County) just packed in on us and dared us to shoot from the outside,'' said Murphysboro coach Daryl Murphy. "We were taking quick shots and weren't moving the ball around very well. We were very impatient."
The impatience went away, though once the second half got underway.
Pierre House's free throw 15 seconds into the third quarter made it 18-17, and was the beginning of a 9-2 run that gave the lead for good.
Eben Brooks followed House's charity shot with a rebound basket to give Murphysboro a 19-18 lead, and he struck again at the 5:49 mark of the period, taking a pass from Jerrod Gaston and finishing at the rim to make it 21-18.
James Lang would pull the Patriots within a point a short time later, but a rebound bucket from Dylan Craig, and a pair of free throws from Gaston gave the Red Devils a 25-20 advantage with 4:46 left in the third quarter.
Massac County (13-11, 3-4) would pull within a point at 25-24 following two free throws by Jarelle Johnson and a basket by Lang. But the Patriots would not get any closer, thanks to an 11-0 run by Murphysboro that was fueled by three straight 3-pointers.
Craig started the outside barrage with a trey to make it 28-24. Dre Shean Payne would drill a 3-pointer with 2:47 remaining in the third period to give the Red Devils a seven-point lead, and Orlando Jarrett then hit a 3 to make it 34-24.
Jarrett would then finish the run with a basket that made it 36-24, and the Red Devils would finish the third quarter with a 37-27 advantage.
Massac County would make on final run early in the fourth quarter, getting a 3-pointer from Lang and a rebound bucket from Corey Ayala to pull within five points at 37-32. But a 3-pointer by Jarrett, who scored all 11 of his points in the second half, pushed Murphysboro's lead back to eight points and the Patriots never got closer than six points for the remainder of the contest.
"They made one little run at us at the start of the fourth quarter,'' Murphy said. "But we hit another 3 on them.
"I thought Orlando picked it up for us offensively. He hit some big shots for us."
Payne led the Red Devils with 13 points. Lang led three Massac County players in double figures with 11 points. Johnson and Ayala finished with 10 points apiece.
Up next for Murphysboro is a conference showdown at Herrin on Friday night. A win in Williamson County will put the Red Devils a game closer to winning the SIRR Ohio Division title.
A victory at Herrin would maintain the Red Devils' two-game lead over Harrisburg in the conference standings. Murphysboro could then clinch at least a tie for the championship on Saturday when it hosts West Frankfort. If those two things happen, the a victory over visiting Benton next Tuesday would give Murphysboro the outright conference crown.
"It's a big weekend for us,'' said Murphy. "Herrin is the key game. If we can win that one then maybe we won't have to worry about it going over to Harrisburg next week."