The Titans overcame a sluggish start to defeat the Rogers Rams 55-47 in a non-league game on Saturday.

Gio Jackson’s 13 second-half points led the way for Todd Beamer. He was held scoreless in the first half.

Beamer scored fewer points than they had played minutes as the buzzer sounded to end the first quarter. They trailed the Rams 10-7.

“We just didn’t have any energy,” Beamer head coach Brent Brilhante said. “We’re coming out sometimes just thinking we can show up and take care of whoever is in front of us, not really preparing for a battle. Rogers is a well-coached team and I knew they would be prepared and we just came out flat.”

The second quarter only went slightly better for the Titans, but both teams still struggled. They outscored the Rams 12-6 in the quarter and took a three-point lead into the half.

It took an eight-point scoring burst last in the quarter just for the Titans to take the lead. Ke’Mar Schimmelfennig came off the bench and made two three-pointers to give them more life heading into the half. Those were the only two baskets he made in the game.

Scoring for both teams picked up in the second half. Rogers was led by Braden Hannold, who scored a game-high 16 points for the Rams.

Rogers cut the Beamer lead to two points by the end of the third quarter.

Jackson took over and scored eight of his 13 points in the fourth as the Titans pulled away for the 55-47 win.

Patrick Kennedy and Stef’fun Singleton each added 11 points for the Titans.

“It was a little bit better [in the second half],” Brilhante said. “When you get in that lull it’s hard to get out of it. It really is. They had a good game plan against us and they dictated the pace. We need to dictate the pace.”

The win was the fourth consecutive for the Titans since falling to Bellevue on Dec. 21. Along with Rogers, they defeated Mount Rainier, Emerald Ridge and Auburn Riverside in that span.

On Tuesday, Beamer defeated the Tahoma Bears 75-69. Their record is currently 10-2. They played Kent-Meridian on Thursday after the Mirror’s publishing deadline. Their next game is on Saturday, Jan. 9 on the road against Kentwood (9-2) at 7:30 p.m.

Beamer will resume league play on Friday, Jan. 15 against Federal Way. They lost to the Eagles 72-65 on Dec. 8. Currently, the Titans sit in second place in the South Puget Sound League Northwest.

“We’ve gotten three ugly wins, but they’re wins,” Brilhante said. “I’m glad we’re not learning from a loss. I’m happy with where we’re at, but we just need to learn how to bring it from the start in each game.”

Federal Way

The Federal Way Eagles were busy over the winter break as they traveled to Mesa, Arizona to take part in the VisitMesa.com Basketball Challenge again this season.

D’Jimon Jones led the way in their first game on Dec. 28 against Basha High School as the Eagles took down the previously undefeated Bears, 57-41. Jones had 17 for Federal Way.

Federal Way faced Corona del Sol on the second day. Last season, the Aztecs handed the Eagles their first loss of the season.

After trailing 34-26 at the half, Federal Way clawed their way past the Aztecs in the second half, winning 66-59. Jalen McDaniels had a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

On the third day of the challenge, the Eagles took down the Perry Pumas 60-50. McDaniels led the team again with 22 points, but it was Christian Jones who had the double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Eagles picked up their largest win on the final day of the challenge against the Gilbert Tigers as they won 59-42. McDaniels again led the team with 21 points. Ferron Flavors and Marcus Stephens both added 10 points.

The four non-Arizona based high schools – Federal Way, American Fork (Utah), Archbishop Wood (Pennsylvania) and Orange Lutheran (California) – were a combined 15-1 against their Arizona opponents.

Federal Way (11-0) returned home to Washington and defeated Kentlake 64-50 on Tuesday. They played Tahoma (1-10) on Thursday after the Mirror’s publishing deadline.

The Eagles will play Kentwood (9-2) at home on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m.

Decatur

Decatur traveled to the Yakima Sundome for two games over the holiday break. The games were a part of the Sundome Shootout.

The Gators were defeated 86-54 by Squalicum on Dec. 29. They were outscored 24-6 in the first quarter and were unable to recover. Rashon Slaughter led the Gators with 18 points.

Decatur rebounded in their second game with a 54-46 win over Cedarcrest. Slaughter had 20 points to lead the Gators once again. Devon Kelley added 10 points for them as well.

They lost 66-58 to Kent-Meridian on Tuesday. They played Kentwood on Thursday after the Mirror’s publishing deadline.

Their next game will be on Saturday on the road against Kentridge (6-6) at 7:30 p.m.

Thomas Jefferson

The Raiders were a little less busy over the holiday break than the rest of the Federal Way schools.

They defeated Graham-Kapowsin 68-43 on Jan. 2. They held the Eagles to just 13 points in the second half of the win.

Alex Sommerfield led the team with 17 points. Darius Anderson added 15 points.

The Raiders (6-5, 2-2) lost to Kentwood, 76-47, on Tuesday. They faced Kentridge on Thursday after the Mirror’s publishing deadline. They travel to face Kentlake (6-5) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.