DONIPHAN OVERTAKES PERRYVILLE FOR DISTRICT TITLE

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- The Perryville Lady Pirates had it in the first, let it slip in the second and lost it in the third.

Doniphan (24-2) outscored Perryville 16-2 in the third quarter in capturing the Class 3A, District 1 title with a 51-38 victory Friday night.

Perryville led 11-3 after the first quarter then let its lead vanish into a 17-all tie at halftime.

Then Perryville's walls caved in.

Doniphan opened with a 12-0 run, while the Lady Pirates, who fell by five points to Doniphan earlier this year, missed their first eight shots of the third quarter and 12 of 13 overall.

Perryville didn't score until its 11th possession of the third quarter. By that time, Doniphan held a 29-17 lead.

"They just shut us down defensively," said Perryville coach Vicki Lohmann. "And we couldn't throw the ball in the ocean. They scored some easy baskets early and that was probably my fault for changing defenses at halftime."

Perryville got off to a great start.

After falling behind 2-0 early, Jamie Amberger scored six unanswered points in a 11-1 Lady Pirate run. Perryville entered the second quarter with an 11-3 lead. Doniphan made just one of its 12 shots in the first quarter, including 0-for-5 from 3-point range.

The roles reversed in the second quarter as the Donnettes started making their shots while the Lady Pirates turned cold. Perryville made only two of its 18 field-goal attempts in the second quarter as Doniphan held a 14-6 edge in the period to tie the game at 17 at halftime. All-stater Bethany Orendorff, who scored a team-high 22 points, scored seven points in the second quarter.

Perryville found itself trailing 35-19 early in the fourth quarter, but the Lady Pirates never gave up. Perryville scored on its first five possessions of the fourth quarter and eventually cut its deficit to 42-35 with 2:29 to go.

Doniphan made 10 of its 14 free throws in the final 2:43 to seal the win.

Amberger led Perryville with 21 points, including eight in the fourth quarter. She also pulled down a school-record 26 rebounds, breaking her own record of 23. Stacy Baer added nine points and played an excellent floor game.

Point guard Brandi Cox added 12 points for Doniphan.

The Donettes made 15 of their 22 free throws.