Classic in session

Central's Sadie Pittman and Wendi Zickfield could not be stopped in the second half Wednesday against Perryville -- period.

Their effort helped No. 5 seeded Central secure a 54-47 upset of No. 4 seeded Perryville in the first round of the Saint Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic at the Show Me Center.

The two Tigers players watched their team jump out to a commanding 11-2 lead in first four and half minutes of the contest. But Central's shooting soon went sour and the Pirates led by four points at halftime.

Pittman and Zickfield, however, did not get down.

Instead, they were just preparing to get started.

Perryville senior Kendra Schilli drove the lane during first round of the the Saint Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic on Wednesday at the Show Me Center. Central beat Perryville 54-47. (Kit Doyle)

"No one had their head down and we knew we were still in it," Pittman said. "We were like, 'Our shots aren't falling but we're going to keep shooting. We're going to come out on top and keep shooting.'"

Pittman and Zickfield, who together netted seven points in the first half, combined to score 24 second-half points, including pouring in 15 of the 19 points the Tigers scored in a close fourth quarter.

Pittman netted 16 points on the night while Zickfield chipped in with 15.

The Tigers improved to 4-3. They will be in action again today at 7 p.m. in a semifinal contest against No. 1 Farmington. The Black Knights opened the tournament with a 64-6 rout of No. 8 Saxony Lutheran.

Second-seeded Jackson and No. 6 Notre Dame will meet in the other semifinal at 8:30. Jackson defeated No. 7 Woodland 67-21, while Notre Dame upended No. 3 Sparta (Ill.) 57-37.

Central junior Taylor Kirn, left, went up for a shot against Perryville defender Kendra Schilli during their first-round game Wednesday at the Show Me Center.

Perryville junior Ava Johnson said she was especially impressed by the play of Pittman.

"When we spread out she [Pittman] took the open shot right there," Johnson said. "Wendi is not very tough -- she's just tall and lengthy. She didn't beat us. It was Pittman when we left her open when we spread out on the zone."

After the Tigers jumped out to an 11-2 lead by the 3:30 mark, it was Johnson who helped the Pirates come back.

Johnson scored eight points in the first quarter, six of which were in the final 3 minutes and 35 seconds to bring her team within 13-8.

Perryville then outscored Central 16-7 in the second quarter to take a 24-40 halftime lead.

"I think we just thought we had it in the bag at first and we really wouldn't have to work for it," Zickfield said. "Then, we knew it was not going to be just a cake walk. So we had a talk in the locker room before the second half by coach.

"She [coach Sherri Shirrell] told us we needed to pick it up and we should expect to win against them. And that was what our main thing was today -- just to expect to win and we did. We came out on top."

Zickfield had only two points in the first half. She said was getting double-teamed in the Pirates' 1-2-2 zone.

"They had one girl up top, and then they had one girl in front of me and one girl behind me at all times," Zickfield said, adding that she was able to get in front of her defenders in the second half, which helped her become more productive.

Central cut the lead to 36-35 by the end of the third quarter.

TOP: Jackson sophomore Cassandra Bollinger drew a Woodland defender off her feet during their first-round game of the Saint Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic on Wednesday at the Show Me Center. LEFT: Jackson's Bollinger reacted to a traveling violation. RIGHT: Woodland sophomore Taylor Steckman defended against Jackson's Whitney McNelly. (KITDOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.com)

Zickfield then helped Central gain a 37-36 lead early in the fourth when she banked in a shot.

Pittman then netted consecutive 2-point shots for a 6-0 run and a 41-36 Tigers advantage.

"What I did was I went through [their zone]," Pittman said. "They left gaps and they spread out, and I just penetrated. I just went straight to the hole. And if I didn't have it, I would try to dump it off to Wendi or Taylor [Kirn] or somebody down there in the post."

After the 6-0 run, the Tigers never looked back and prevailed by seven.

Pittman, who joked that it felt pretty nice to score more points than Zickfield for the first time, said she is looking forward to the game against Farmington, a team the Tigers lost to by 15 points earlier this season.

"That was a great feeling: me and Wendi coming out there and doing our thing or whatever," Pittman said. "And Farmington, I am ready. We had a loss against them, and now revenge is sweet, so we're ready to go out there and have a good game with them."

CENTRAL 54, PERRYVILLE 47

Central 13 7 15 19 -- 54

Perryville 8 16 12 11 -- 47

Central (54) -- Sadie Pittman 16, Chelsea Pannier 3, Breia Twiggs 2, Taylor Kirn 10, Sarah Uptmor 8, Zickfield 15. FG 23, FT 8-13, F 12 (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none)

Perryville (47) -- Ava Johnson 15, Nicole Gremaud 3, Kendra Schilli 13, Makenzie Schirmer 2, Alyssa Bauwens 12, Emily Hanquist 2. FG 19, FT 7-8, F 14 (3-pointers: Gremaud 1. Fouled out: none)