JACKSON COLLECTS 4TH STRAIGHT WIN, 81-53, OVER NORTH COUNTY

JACKSON -- Jackson's girls used balanced scoring to overcome 31 points by Tara Emily as it extended a season-high win streak to four games with an 81-53 victory over North County Thursday night.

Jackson, which improved to 13-9, received 24 points from Andrea Koeper, 18 from Cherish Tillman and 12 from Jenna Leet.

Emily, who had six 3-pointers and 20 points in the first half, was the only Lady Raider to score more than six points.

Jackson led 14-13 after one quarter and opened up a 36-29 advantage by halftime.

"We tightened down on the defensive end in the second half and did a lot better job," said Jackson coach Ron Cook.

North County had 10 3-pointers on the game, but just three after intermission.

Jackson increased its lead to double figures, 58-42, by the close of the third quarter.

Cape Central 60, Charleston 37

The Lady Tigers had a balanced offensive effort, as seven players scored to lift 10th-ranked 4A Cape Central's record to 19-4 with a victory over visiting Charleston.

Cape Central outscored Charleston 14-6 in the first quarter and went into halftime with a comfortable 32-14 lead. The Lady Blue Jays trimmed the lead to 43-28 in the third quarter, but the Lady Tigers pulled away down the stretch.

"Overall we played a lot of kids who got a chance to work on a lot of things," said Cape Central coach Darrick Smith. "It was a good game for us, even though we got off to a slow start."

Heather Jenkins led the way for Cape Central, scoring 12 points, while Mindy Hoffman finished with 11.

The Lady Tigers will play a make-up game tonight against Nerinx Hall in Webster Groves at 7:30 p.m.

Scott Co. Central 78, Chaffee 72 OT

CHAFFEE -- Vontrice Blackmon stole the show by scoring 31 points to lead the Bravettes to an overtime victory.

Blackmon, who nailed five 3-pointers for the game, netted seven of the Bravettes' 11 points in the overtime session.

Teammate Brandy Miller followed with 22 points and Lekeya Turner finished with 17.

Chaffee held a slim 34-32 lead at halftime but saw Scott County tie the score at 51-51 by the close of the third quarter. Both teams scored 16 points in the fourth quarter as the game went into overtime tied 67-67.

"My kids played a tremendous ball game tonight," said Chaffee coach Tammy Brock. "Scott Central has a great 1A team, probably the best around. I'm pleased we had four players to score in double figures, which shows we played as a team."

The Lady Red Devils were led in scoring by Jennifer Vandeven, who notched 22 points. Morgan Kiefer had 18 points, Jodi Pfefferkorn had 13 and Amy Burnett provided 12.

Scott City 62, Oran 56 OT

SCOTT CITY -- The Lady Rams pulled off an overtime victory over Oran, thanks in part to Jennifer Bain converting 11 of 13 free throws in the fourth and overtime periods.

Bain was second in scoring with 15 points behind freshman Amber Dannenmueller, who was called up from junior varsity and scored 16 points. Rachel Spinks finished with 12.

"The Oran kids really shot the ball well," said Scott City coach Randall White. "We played a box-and-one defense, but it didn't stop Ashley Dirnberger and Anilise Lange from making clutch 3-pointers when they needed to."

Dirnberger, who sank four 3-pointers, netted 18 points, as did Sara Heisserer. Lange, who tossed in three 3-pointers, finished with 11 points.

Oran held a 22-18 lead at the break, but Scott City rallied to take a 34-31 lead at the close of the third quarter. The Lady Eagles countered in the fourth, outscoring Scott City 15-12, to take the game into overtime.

Scott City (6-10) used a 16-10 scoring advantage in overtime to seal the win.

Scott City will play a make up game at home against East Prairie today at 5 p.m.

Fredericktown 57, St. Vincent 41

PERRYVILLE -- The Lady Black Cats were led to victory by Nickey Tucker's 21 points and Megan Brown's 17.

Fredericktown jumped out to an 18-9 lead in the opening quarter and maintained a 32-24 lead going into halftime. Fredericktown outscored St.Vincent 16-11 in the third quarter and held on in the last eight minutes for the win.

Jessica Lakenan scored 18 points to lead St. Vincent (14-8)and also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds. Danielle Sutterer added 12 points.

Woodland 45, Puxico 21

WOODLAND -- In a meeting between two struggling teams, the Lady Cardinals doubled up Puxico in scoring, earning a much needed win.

Woodland (3-13) had lost 13 games in a row.

"It was nice to play someone who was playing like we are," said Woodland coach Harley Eddleman. "Neither of us has a real abundance of talent. It's hard to lose about 13 in a row and keep your enthusiasm up. It was nice to finally win."

Woodland took a 28-10 lead into halftime, and continued to outscore Puxico in the second half.

Lilo Whitener poured in a game-high 21 points for Woodland, while Emily Davis added 12.

Puxico was led by Amanda Miller's 14 points.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Kelly 59, Greenville 43

BENTON -- The Hawks used a variety of unusual defenses to confuse Greenville and bump their record to 12-9.

"We started out really slow," said Kelly coach Kent Mangels. "In the second quarter, we switched around our defenses, and that, along with our free-throw shooting, were the keys to our win."

The Hawks made 13 of 18 free throws.

Greenville led 16-11 after the first quarter, but Kelly battled back and outscored Greenville 22-11 in the second period and took a 33-27 halftime lead.

Kelly outscored Greenville 9-8 in the third and 17-8 in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

Michael Romas and Jamie Essner led Kelly in scoring, netting 16 points apiece, while Quinton Schaefer added 11.

Jeremy Smith led Greenville with 14 points.

The Hawks will play a make-up game at home against Advance on Monday at 6:30.

Oran 73, Naylor 64

ORAN -- Travis Friga led the Eagles with a season-high 35 points to help Oran defeat Naylor in a make-up game.

Friga also went 11-for-11 from the line and scored 17 of his points in the fourth quarter.

Teammate Adam Friga added 13 points and Phillip Seyer finished with 11.

Naylor jumped out to a 15-10 lead in the opening quarter, but Oran rallied, outscoring Naylor 20-15, to knot the score at 30 points going into halftime.

The Eagles edged Naylor in the third period, taking a 17-16 lead into the final quarter, but Oran ran away with a 26-18 scoring advantage in the fourth to take the win.

"We started out sluggish, but played a solid second quarter," said Oran coach Larry Boshell, whose team improved to 13-8. "Travis Friga did an excellent job. It's a good win after losing to Advance on Tuesday."

Steven Thrasher poured in a team-high 27 points. Shane Thorp had 12 and Dick Lepold added 11 points to pace Naylor in scoring.