DAMASCUS, Va. – Basketball hangovers are the worst. Those gym headaches are not only hard to fight, but certainly challenging to even find quick relief.

Twin Springs, meanwhile, found the right concoction just in time Wednesday.

Less than 24 hours removed from suffering their first loss of the 2011-12 campaign, the Titans – stymied by a sagging Holston zone and poor perimeter shooting – trudged into the locker room with a slim five-point advantage and no emotion. Emerging from the far double doors just before the third-quarter start, however, was a vastly recharged – and certainly defensive-fueled – Twin Springs squad which forced 10 Cavalier turnovers over the next eight minutes, turning a possible upset into a 54-34 non-district victory.

“We had a bad night last night, and that carried over into the first half,” said Titans’ forward Jared Finch, who ripped off 12 of his game-high 27 points during the pivotal third stanza. “Our coaches told us to play with intensity and to pick it up – and we did. We just wanted to get back on the right foot.”

But that swift and much-needed change for Twin Springs – which foiled many of Holston’s third-quarter set pieces – still didn’t soften the post-game reaction from veteran coach John McCrary, who kept his squad for as long as he could during halftime discussions.

“That first half was terrible,” admitted McCrary, whose squad went 2-for-12 from behind the arc and only converted six baskets inside 10 feet. “Some of our people are not on the same page. The last of January are the dog days – and everybody’s tired. Our guys are showing the effects of that right now. Hopefully, we can get a second wind.”

The Titans (16-1) got that surge thanks to a trapping half-court defense, which continually witnessed Finch and teammate Andrija Stajovic (18 points) pivot off their post man and towards the possessing Holston guard. Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, those miscues poured fire into the Twin Springs transition game, leading to a game-changing 16-2 surge – punctuated by Finch’s off-balance fadeaway to complete the third quarter.

“We’ve hung our hat for the last nine years on our half-court defense,” noted McCrary, whose squad thwarted Holston into 28 turnovers. “If we don’t do that, we’re not very good.”

Like Castlewood did one night earlier, the Cavs (5-14) had an excellent game plan. Holston put three and sometimes four guys against Finch and Stajovic during the opening half, daring the Titan shooters to beat them deep. And even when the Twin Springs duo caught the ball inside the paint, neither starter could turn effectively towards the bucket – resulting in almost always a kick-out pass, followed by either a low-percentage trey attempt or an offensive foul.

“Defensively, I told them we put forth our game plan to a tee,” stated Holston coach Travis Gray, whose squad netted only one third-quarter field goal. “We boxed out the best we’ve boxed out all year. Not only did we rebound, but we pushed [the tempo] on them. But our turnovers killed us.”

Seth Davenport supplied a team-high 11 for the Cavaliers.