TROY — Sidney junior guard A’Zon Steele said the team wants to be more consistent through the second half of Miami Valley League play.

It got off to a good start on Friday.

Sidney dominated the second half and beat Troy 55-44 at the Trojan Activities Center. It broke a three-game losing streak to the Trojans in head-to-head matchups over the last two seasons, including a 63-59 loss in a season opener in which Sidney couldn’t hold on to a 12-point lead.

The teams battled in the first half on Friday, but the Yellow Jackets led by as many as 13 down the stretch.

“The first quarter, we started off kind of slow. Things weren’t falling,” Steele said. “Then we got stops on defense, which led to fast breaks on offense. We were listening to Coach. I think the energy was way different from the first game.”

Steele led Sidney (8-5, 6-4 MVL) with 22 points, 16 of which came in the second half. He scored eight in the third quarter to lead a 15-9 scoring edge, then scored eight more in the fourth to lead a 13-11 advantage.

“I feel like getting to the paint (in the second half) opened up a lot more jump shots for me,” Steele said. “Defenders are thinking I’m going to shoot the 3 a lot, like I used to, but getting to the rim really opened up a lot, and my teammates scoring did too.”

The teams were tied 9-9 at the end of the first quarter, but Sidney used an 18-15 edge to take a 27-24 halftime lead.

Troy senior forward Kellen Miller scored 11 points in the first half to help the Trojans stay close, but he managed just one basket the entire second half and finished with 13. Sidney coach John Willoughby credited Sidney junior forward Jayce Daniel for defending Miller in the second half.

“Jayce is long enough that he can bother him and he kept up with (Miller) and did a really good job,” Willoughby said. “… He had a heck of a game. Probably one of the best games I’ve seen Jayce play.”

Steele is scoring an MVL-best 16.8 points per game and is also averaging four rebounds and 2.3 assists.

“He had a big game, came out and played well,” Willoughby said. “He’s learning, and we always talk with him about trying to limit dribbling too much. I think early on, he was trying to get some teammates involved, which is good, because it opens it up for you too as a passer and a player.”

Daniel, who averages a team-high 6.2 rebounds, finished with 12 points. Sidney senior forward Mitchell Davis scored 13, including a thunderous dunk on a pass from Julius Spradling in the final minutes. Spradling finished with eight.

“We got Mitchell started early, and I think that helped us,” Willoughby said. “With our three guards, and if Mitch is playing well, it’s hard to stop that. Mitch is a key for us. When he’s able to score and do some good things, we’re pretty good.”

The Yellow Jackets built a 42-31 lead late in the third quarter, but the Trojans (4-8, 4-6) went on a 9-2 run to pull within 44-40.

After a long possession, Steele made a 3 from the left wing with 2:40 left, then scored on a drive with about 2:05 left, drew a foul and hit a free throw to boost the lead to 10 points.

Willoughby credited Steele for both shots, and credited the team for keeping its composure when Troy narrowed the gap.

“We’ve been working on that,” Willoughby said. “We’ve lost a couple where it comes down to the last four minutes of the game, and we don’t execute our plays and make some bad shots or passes. I thought we did a better job of that today.

“… We were still trying to be aggressive with the lead and not hold on to it too much. I thought we executed pretty well. A lot of things we were practicing are showing up in some games, which is nice.”

Sidney is scheduled to host Xenia on Tuesday; the squad beat the Buccaneers 69-47 on Dec. 7 in Xenia.

“We want to stay locked in, not lose another game,” Steele said. “You never know, we may still have a shot at the title. But we want to give it our all.”

Reach Bryant Billing at 937-538-4818, or follow @SidneyOHSports on Twitter and @BryantBillingSDN on Facebook.