Once again, the Warrior Academy varsity boys got off to a relatively slow start. Once again, come the final buzzer, that hardly mattered.

The undefeated Braves got another huge game from JaMichael Rivers and outscored the West Alabama Prep Titans by 15 in the third quarter, blowing open a previously competitive game to earn a 70-41 victory Monday night in Demopolis.

Rivers finished with a game high 35 points, a full half of the Braves’ total, to go with 14 rebounds. He was joined in double figures by Robbie Gray with 12 and Trenedy Bolden with 11.

Gene Samuels scored 13 to lead the Titans, who trailed 18-10 at the end of one and 30-19 at halftime. It was quite a different first-half story from the teams’ first meeting, Nov. 28 in Eutaw, in which the Braves led by 26 at the end of the first quarter.

“I was very, very happy with the way we played in the first half,” said WAP coach Jay Reynolds, who says that one bad quarter both cost the Titans their recent game against Sumter and turned the Warrio game into a rout.

“I’m proud of the effort they’re giving and the way they’ve developed so far this season,” he adds. “Now I’m just waiting for them to put it together for four quarters instead of three.”

Joining Samuels on the scoresheet for the Titans were Kyle Kennedy with 8 points, Daniel Logan with 6, Mark Geiger with 4, Jake Rich and Chase Cameron with 3, and Steven Cockreham and John Paul McPherson with 2.

The Braves improved to 8-0 on the season while the Titans fell to 4-6. WAP will take the court again Monday against Pickens Acad.