DAVENPORT -- It didn’t take long for Jefferson to regain its winning ways.

The J-Hawks traveled east Tuesday to take on Davenport Central in a tough non-conference battle featuring two top-10 teams and narrowly escaped Marshall Gym with a 59-56 victory.

No. 8 Jefferson improved to 9-2 overall. The seventh-ranked Blue Devils fell to 8-2 with their first home loss of the season.

After struggling Friday night in a loss at Kennedy, the J-Hawks were able to get their shots to fall early. Within the first couple minutes Jefferson had a 7-0 lead.

Jarrod Uthoff nearly matched his game total against Kennedy in the first quarter, scoring nine of the J-Hawks' 18 points as Jefferson grabbed an 18-10 lead.

When asked about bouncing back after a season-low of 12 points against Kennedy, Uthoff responded, “It doesn’t matter how many points I score as long as the team wins. Things opened up for me more tonight than they did Friday.”

Uthoff finished with a game-high 23 points.

Davenport Central battled back to start the second quarter, going on a 12-5 run. Tyler Case connected on three 3-pointers to narrow the Jefferson lead to 28-26 at the half.

The second half was a battle. The Blue Devils fought back, even with leading scorers Tavian Pomlee and Richard Hung held below their season averages. The two seniors had been averaging a combined 36 points, but connected for only 26 against the J-Hawks with Ky Kramer, Alec Saunders and Uthoff sharing most of the defensive chores.

The two teams traded baskets throughout the third period and Jefferson was able to inch ahead, 45-42, going into the fourth quarter. Tyler Meiborg and Uthoff kept the scale tilting toward the J-Hawks.

Meiborg scored 12 points, his fourth straight game in double digits. Taylor Olson added 12 points and Saunders chipped in with nine.

The game was tied on several occasions down the stretch. The J-Hawks had opportunities to put the game away, but were unable to hit their free throws.

Jefferson shot an uncharacteristic 19-for-27 from the line. They connected on only 5-for-10 in the final minutes of the game.

In the final seconds, Uthoff stood at the line with a two-point advantage and the chance seal the game. He made one free throw, and the Blue Devils had a chance to tie, trailing 59-56.

Jefferson used a few of its fouls, trying to disrupt the Central offense. Finally, Pomlee caught the ball on the right wing a few feet beyond the arc, but his 3-point shot went long as the horn sounded.

“Our guys played with a lot of heart," Jefferson Coach Stu Ordman said. "They’re very resilient and were able to withstand a strong push in the first half, some good shooting and a final surge in tough surroundings.

"We need to work more on our offensive execution and execute better on time and score situations, but I’m confident that our guys will learn from this game.”

JEFFERSON (59): Meiborg 4 4-5 12, Olson 3 4-6 12, Kramer 1 1-2 3, Saunders 3 3-4 9, Uthoff 7 7-10 23, Brown 0 0-0 0, Denny 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 19-27
59.

DAVENPORT CENTRAL (56): Hurt 6 2-2 14, Pomlee 4 2-5 12, Burnham 5 3-3 13, Franklin 1 0-0 2, Case 3 0-0 9, Corbin 0 0-0 0, Carr 1 0-0 2, Light 0 0-0 0, Woods 2 0-0 4. Totals 22 7-10 56.

Halftime — Jefferson 28, Davenport Central 26. 3-point goals — Jefferson 4 (Uthoff 2, Olson 2), Davenport Central 5 (Case 3, Pomlee 2).