COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The game-changing plays came early in Jefferson’s third straight championship victory.

Craig Mattson’s baseline jumper off of a loose ball in the first quarter, his first 3-pointer to open a double-digit lead and Kyle Schieber’s trey at the first-half buzzer all fueled the title game rout.

The contest featured several more notable moments, however — some of them humorous, most of them ultimately irrelevant. Here’s what else transpired:

-- Doug Archer’s block total probably should have reached four (and 21st at state) after swatting Jay Lee in the late stages of the third quarter. During a one-on-one fast break showdown, Archer held his ground and sent Lee’s layup attempt spinning away but still earned the foul. Archer looked amusingly incredulous as Lee shot his free throws.

-- Taking the ball up against the quick-handed Lee is no easy task. Mattson found that out. The 6-foot-4 Jefferson guard brought the ball up the court the majority of the time after several Eagles struggled to get the past pesky backcourt defense of Lee, who recorded three steals Thursday against Fair Play.

But the Glasgow guard only managed one takeaway in the title game and picked up three of his four fouls while guarding Mattson, though there was plenty of contact on some of their backcourt clashes.

“I knew he was going to come after me,” Mattson said. “Trying to get some steals and get their offense going.”

Mattson repeatedly blew past with a confident, controlled series of spins moves and tight ball-handling, eliminating a vital aspect of Glasgow’s offensive output.

-- On the way to another 20-point performance, Mattson displayed just how deadly his diverse skill set can be.

Matched up with Lee, Mattson had no problem posting up the 5-foot-11 guard down low and hitting a couple of easy turnaround shots. When a larger Yellowjacket defender lined up against Mattson, he simply dropped a shot in from outside.

-- Who knew Gilbert Henry was such a shut-down defender? On the wrong end of a 2-on-1 fast break against Lee and Briar Hoffman, Henry looked easily overmatched, backpedaling into the lane. But Lee chose to kick the ball out to Hoffman in the left corner rather than confront Henry. The 3-pointer went awry, and Jefferson came away with the ball.

-- Jefferson’s state championship is only a few hours old, but for us, it’s never too soon to start looking at next year’s team.

The 2008-09 Eagles team will feature current backcourt starters Mattson, Schieber and Jacob Stoll, who improved in leaps and bounds as the year progressed. Of course, Jermain will have to fill a couple of pretty big holes in the post. Tanner Dowis, a 6-foot-2 forward who will be a senior next year, showed a natural knack for cleaning the glass and looks like an early favorite to start. Past that, however, is anyone’s guess.

Don’t forget, Jefferson won a title in 2007 by starting four guards. They might have to do so again to make it four in a row.