As the quiet but undisputed leader of his team, Jefferson's smooth point guard Taylor Olson was playing a little under the weather Tuesday night.

However, he said that was no excuse for the J-Hawks' uninspired play that let a poor-shooting Waterloo West bunch hang around for much of the game at Jefferson.

The 10th-ranked J-Hawks finally got their act together in the last stanza - scoring almost as many points as it scored the rest of the game - and buried the Wahawks, 54-34.

"I don't know what the problem was, but our game was very lackadaisical for about the first three quarters," said Olson, a model student who is beginning to receive Division I scholarship offers.

"Maybe it was lack of leadership on my part. We sort of played on our heels. We didn't execute like we practice. We were just too tentative and laid back."

The savvy 6-foot-1 senior took over when his team needed it, however, scoring 13 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter. When Waterloo West (4-5, 3-4) tried to blunt Jefferson's late-game surge with fouls, Olson cooly dropped in nine of 10 free throws in the last four minutes.

He was also the one his teammates relied on to control the ball and the tempo of the game.

"Taylor just kicked up his game," said Jefferson Coach Stu Ordman. "He wasn't feeling well, but I think he was playing on adrenaline."

Like his go-to star, Ordman felt the entire team started out as if hit by a bug of some sort.

"We let their pressure defense bother us, and we didn't rebound as well as we should," he said. "We didn't play with a lot of confidence. It's like a virus, and it spread to everybody."

With lackluster shooting by both sides, Jefferson (8-2, 4-2) led just 18-12 at halftime. Olson opened the second half with two slick drives to the basket, and long-range junior gunner Creighton Robinson popped his second 3-pointer of the night.

The Wahawks stuck around, however, thanks to a couple of buckets by 6-foot-6 senior Dale Jones. He came into the night leading the MVC in rebounding with 10.5 a game and was averaging 17.3 points.

Though taller than any J-Hawk, Jones preferred to play his game from behind the 3-point arc. At times he was guarded by the 5-foot-9 Robinson.

He did hit one long jumper and ended up with 13 points, but was never a force underneath or on the boards. Playing like a point guard, Jones late in the game dribbled behind his back on a fast break and was called for a charging foul on the way to the basket.

With a tenuous six-point lead going into the final quarter, Jeff sub Justin Underwood hit two quick jumpers and Robinson canned another 3-pointer (going 3 for 5 for the night).

When Olson made another of his patented floaters after driving down the lane, the lead was suddenly up to 12 with 5:20 to go. His conventional three-point play put the lead at 15, and he finished out the game from the free throw line.

"He had a tremendous game," said Ordman of his senior floor leader, who topped his season scoring average of 21.8 points. "He played with composure and really settled things down."

WATERLOO WEST (34): DaQuan Moore 3 5-8 11, Malik Green 2 0-0 5, Dimarco Mallett 0 0-0 0, Carderrius Smith 2 0-0 4, Dale Jones 5 2-4 13, Queshawn Roby 0 0-0 0, Alex Young 0 0-0 0, Tre Johnson 0 1-2 1, Xavier Hightower 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 8-14 34.

JEFFERSON (54): Alec Saunders 2 0-0 4, Creighton Robinson 3 0-0 9, Ky Kramer 3 2-2 8, Tyler Hemphill 2 3-4 7, Taylor Olson 7 8-11 22, Justin Underwood 2 0-0 4, Jacob Olson 0 0-0 0, Taylor Mueller 0 0-0 0, Andre Kearney 0 0-0 0, Austin Goodell 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 13-17 54.

Halftime – Jefferson 18, West 12. 3-point goals – West 2 (Green, Jones), Jefferson 3 (Robinson 3). Total fouls – West 15, Jefferson 14. Fouled out – none.