Central's defense sparks Tigers' hot start

Rosati-Kain dug itself a large hole to start Saturday's game against host Central.

The Cougars trailed 8-0 after the first quarter and were down 18-1 with three minutes to play before halftime.

The Tigers never let them back in it, using a strong defensive effort to nab a 48-35 victory.

Chelsea Vinson scored all eight of Central's first-quarter points.

"We were talking on defense," Central coach Sherri Shirrell said. "We were moving good on defense. I thought Alayah [Cooper-Johnson] played some outstanding defense on their best player, [Erin] Emerson, and V [Vinson], she came out to a strong start and we got the ball to her and she was scoring easily so I was real proud the kids jumped out to a good start."

LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.comTOP: Central sophomore Chelsea Vinson takes a shot over Rosati-Kain defender Brittany Schollar during the second quarter Saturday.BOTTOM: Central senior Chelsea Pannier shoots over Rosati-Kain defenders Katy Kessler, left, and Brittany Schollar during the third quarter Saturday.

Rosati-Kain managed a free throw seconds into the second quarter but didn't convert its first field goal until 2 minutes, 59 seconds remained in the first half.

The Tigers held an 18-1 advantage until the Cougars' Emily Secrist sank the first of her four 3-pointers.

"It let us kind of relax a little bit," Tigers senior Chelsea Pannier said about the lead. "We knew we had the lead, so we could just play like we're used to playing without rushing."

Added Shirrell: "It's always nice to get that lead early. The kids came out with intensity, kind of like they did against Notre Dame earlier. That's what we've been trying to do is start good because that's been our downfall. When we come out to a slow start then we're digging ourselves out of a hole and we've really been trying to focus on that."

Rosati-Kain struggled to cut into the Tigers' lead, and Central took a 23-7 advantage into halftime.

Central senior Chelsea Pannier takes a shot over Rosati-Kain defenders Katy Kessler, left, and Brittany Schollar in the third quarter Saturday, February 5, 2011 at Cape Central High School. Central defeated Rosati-Kain 48-35. (Laura Simon)

The Cougars didn't make a shot inside the arc, going 0 for 8, and were just 2 of 6 from beyond the arc in the first half.

Central managed to let the Cougars gain some momentum in the third period.

Vinson scored the first basket of the half to push the lead to 25-7, but Rosati-Kain went on an 8-1 run to pull within 26-15.

Central responded with six straight points to end the quarter.

"They started hitting their shots," Shirrell said. "We kind of slacked off a little bit on defense. I think we got a little bit overconfident. We rested on our heels a little bit on defense and stopped communicating a little bit on defense as well."

The Cougars failed to go away in the fourth.

Rosati-Kain applied full-court pressure that rattled Central.

The Tigers committed seven turnovers in the fourth quarter alone.

"They pressed us," Pannier said. "They had a lot of on-the-ball pressure, which we couldn't handle very well but we eventually got through it."

The Cougars cut it to 36-27 with just more than five minutes to play but never got closer.

Alayah Cooper-Johnson came up big for the Tigers, scoring eight of her 10 points in the fourth.

"She's a good penetrator," Shirrell said. "She's not afraid to take the ball to anybody and she gets herself to the free-throw line doing that. ... I love her aggressiveness and I love her work ethic. She's playing man-to-man on our box-and-one and she's down at the other end grabbing rebounds and she's penetrating and she gives us a spark and a little bit more energy out there. I love the way that kid works."

Pannier finished with a game-high 19 points, while Vinson added 14.

The duo was impressive throughout.

"V's just big in the middle and she works hard," Shirrell said. "And Pannier's always trying to get her the ball if she can't spot up for the shot. Those are our two leaders. We're always looking for them first. They stepped up tonight and did a good job."

Central 8 15 9 16 -- 48

Rosati-Kain 0 7 8 20 -- 35

CENTRAL (48) -- Alayah Cooper-Johnson 10, Tori Scheller 4, Chelsea Pannier 19, Chelsea Vinson 14, Katie Williams 1. FG 14. FT 18-28. F 10. (3-pointers: Pannier 2. Fouled out: none)

ROSATI-KAIN (35) -- Emily Secrist 14, Rachel Schreier, Brittany Schollar, Jill Griebel 5, Erin Emerson 8. FG 13. FT 2-7. F 21. (3-pointers: Secrist 3, Schreier, Griebel, Emerson 2. Fouled out: none)