Spencer Hicks scored a triple double to lead the Thomas Jefferson boys basketball team to a convincing 78-52 victory over Auburn Thursday.

The 6-foot, 7-inch senior center scored 13 points while hauling down 10 rebounds and blocking 10 shots.

It was a rematch of the South Puget Sound League North Division opener for both teams played in early December, which the Raiders also won..

"We beat Auburn in our league opener, but that was a much closer game," Hicks said. "We just came out and got the lead to begin with and once we got that lead we just held it."

The Raiders improved their SPSL North record to 3-5 and their overall mark to 6-6 with the win. TJ is still in the race for a postseason berth, if it can keep up its revived winning ways over the rest of the second half of the season.

"It was an exciting win," said first year TJ head coach Kyle Templeton. "We kind of have been in a rut lately. Teams are prepared for us. Auburn was and now people are ready for us."

The main rut that Templeton is worried about for his team is turnovers, with 25 given away in even Thursday's win over Auburn.
"We had a bunch of turnovers," Hicks said.

But Thomas Jefferson also had a bunch of three-point field goals, including three in an 11-0 streak right out of the gate.

Hicks opened the scoring with a tip back with 6:08 showing on the first quarter clock, then hit the three threes in succession.

Justin Lanier swished the first two in with ease, then fellow senior guard Jeff Brigham nailed the third for an 11-0 lead at 4:27 to play in the quarter.

Auburn battled back into the game at times, including the next five points, but it was already settled who would stay ahead the rest of the way -- TJ.

Senior wing Eric Radford broke up the Trojans' five-point run back to 11-5 with a three-pointer of his own to make it 14-5 with 2:05 left in the quarter.

Kevin Henderson of Auburn answered with a standard two-point basket at the other end, with Hicks drawing a foul while hitting a two-point shot and going onn on to make the free throw for a three-point play. That widened the margin to 17-7 with 1:04 left.

Hicks helped the Raiders to stay ahead, 19-11, with a putback with 18 seconds let, then Iszia Johnson of Auburn scored a putback to make the end of the quarter margin 19-13 with a putback of his own.

The Raiders went wild in the second quarter, widening their lead to 40-21. Brigham buried two threes in that time and Radford one, and Daryon James drew a foul while attempting a three and made two of his free throws.

The score was left at 53-34 as Brigham scored at the third quarter buzzer, and TJ took advantage of a technical foul call against Auburn to make it 57-34 only 31 seconds later.

After a long back-and-forth fourth quarter Thomas Jefferson went away with a cushy 78-52 victory.

Lanier led the Raiders in scoring with 18 points ahead of Hicks' 13 and the 11 of Radford that went with seven rebounds and six steals.

Senior wing Danny Cha hit a career-high nine points and Eric Kim scored three along with two points each from James, Danny Shin and T.K. Moffit.