PUXICO -- In two weeks time, the script flipped in a rematch from the Bernie Invitational.
Puxico never put together a sustained run and Twin Rivers steadily pulled away for a 67-46 win Dec. 12 at Puxico.
The Royals (3-4), who lost by 14 to Puxico two weeks ago, bookended their win with two substantial runs, one in the first quarter and one in the fourth. Both featured several buckets by Hayden Thomas, who led all scorers with 37 points.
"He was excited to play," Twin Rivers coach Seth McBroom said of Thomas. "Anytime he comes in and is excited and sees a couple going in, he's definitely a talent, got some skill for sure. When he sees some going in and gets hot, it is fun to watch."
Tied at 7-all midway through the first quarter, Twin Rivers closed the final minutes with a 10-2 run.
Jamie Robards and Thomas started the burst with back-to-back 3-pointers and then Thomas, who had nine of Twin Rivers' 17 points in the first quarter, added a putback.
After a pair of free throws from Puxico's Levi Woods, who led the Indians with 21 points, Twin Rivers' Zach Hargraves drew a foul with a second on the clock and made both free throws to put the Royals ahead by eight at the buzzer.
After largely even second and third quarters, Twin Rivers was up by 11 going into the fourth.
Thomas got the first of his 11 points in the fourth quarter with a layup as the Royals opened the final frame with a 12-3 run to take a 20 point lead with 3 minutes left.
Thomas was steady in getting his 37 points. The junior wing had at least eight points in every quarter, sank a pair of 3s and was 7 for 9 on free throws. He had 14 points against Puxico (2-5) in the Bernie Invitational.
"A lot of easy transition buckets, really. He hit a lot of easy shots in the middle and we weren't closing out hard. We weren't zoned in tonight. We got outplayed," Puxico coach Nathan Martin said.
Woods, who scored 38 points in a 75-61 win over Twin Rivers in the Bernie Invitational in November, had 11 of his points in the second quarter. He had one field goal in the second half and five total points in the second half. He was 7 for 9 on free throws and made two 3-pointers.
"He is an excellent player. We definitely keyed on him," McBroom said. When you key on someone, it is hard. He's a very good player, though. We showed him a lot of respect and tried to limit him some. He still got (21), but it felt like we did well in the second half."
Matt Bollinger added 12 points for Puxico.
Coming off a 31-point loss to Hayti Dec. 11, the Royals showed little signs of fatigue in the bounce-back win, which was also just their second win since Nov. 28.
"I'm sure there were some (fatigue), but nobody cares if you are fatigued or not. You have to find a way," McBroom said. "They are very good kids with high character ... You just had to shake (the loss) off and we had to come back and do business."
The Indians, who did not trail for the first 4 minutes of the game, never scored more than two unanswered field goals in a row.
"We were stagnant. When we'd pass, we'd either screen away or cut but they weren't hard cuts, they weren't good screens. It just never really got in a rhythm," Martin said.
"Defensively, they did well. They didn't box-and-1, they didn't really face guard. They face guarded in the third quarter, but we just couldn't get to the basket. They were helping off the ball well and we couldn't get anything done."