JACKSON GIRLS UPEND NO. 1 POPLAR BLUFF

JACKSON, Mo. -- In a heated rivalry between two of the state's top Class 4A girls teams, the Jackson Lady Indians, hold the latest bragging rights.

In a marquee matchup of state-ranked teams, Jackson avenged an earlier season loss to No. 1 ranked Poplar Bluff, handing the Lady Mules a 55-46 loss Monday night at Jackson High School.

"It was probably our best defensive game of the year," said Jackson coach Ron Cook. "It was a heck of a game for us and a big win for us."

In their only previous meeting this year, Poplar Bluff posted a seven-point victory over Jackson in the finals of the HealthSouth Holiday Classic.

"We didn't turn the ball over as much this time," said Cook, noting his team handled the Lady Mules man-to-man press much better the second time around.

" It took its toll on us the first time," said Cook.

Jackson, ranked No. 8 in Missouri, received 17 points from Jenna Leet and 16 from Andrea Koeper, who also had a team-high 10 rebounds.

Ashley Williams scored 15 points for Poplar Bluff before fouling out.

Jackson led 12-8 at the close of the first quarter and held a slim 21-19 lead at halftime. The Lady Indians upped their advantage to 34-30 by start of the fourth quarter and pulled away down the stretch.

Doniphan 54

Cape Central 41

DONIPHAN, Mo. -- In an uninspired effort, the Lady Tigers fell to Doniphan, the ninth-ranked team in Class 3A.

Holding Doniphan close in the first half, trailing 31-25, Central was unable to mount much offensively in the second half. The Lady Tigers scored only 16 points after the intermission.

"They just outworked us, outhustled us," said Cape Central coach Mark Ruark. "They beat us to loose balls and rebounds."

Cape Central (11-7) was led Sarah Hyslop with 13 points, while Alex Wieser added 10.

Charleston 46, Kelly 41

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- An eight point third-quarter advantage lifted Charleston to a mild upset win over Kelly.

With two starters, hampered by foul trouble, sitting out much of the second period, Charleston's four point first-quarter lead disappeared as Marissa Essner knocked down a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to give Kelly a 20-19 edge.

But the Lady Blue Jays (13-4) regrouped in the decisive third stanza to reclaim the lead at 33-26 going into the final quarter.

Kelly (16-2) staged a furious comeback attempt in the fourth quarter, but Charleston withstood the pressure to close out the win.

Alicia Rodgers and Missy Whitney led the Lady Blue Jays with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

Marissa Essner paced Kelly with 18 points, while the usually high-scoring Bridgett Riley was held to just eight.

Perryville 65, Festus 53

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Jamie Amberger scored 30 points and pulled down 16 rebounds to help keep Perryville unbeaten in Jefferson County Conference play.

Perryville improved to 11-8 overall and 6-0 in the conference.

Amberger, the only Lady Pirate to finish in double figures scoring, was 10 of 12 from the free-throw line.

"Jamie Amberger played a great game," said Perryville coach Vickie Lohmann. "She dominated inside."

Perryville jumped out to a 20-13 lead in the first quarter and still held a seven-point lead, 33-26, at halftime. The Lady Pirates carried a 48-39 lead into the fourth quarter.

Oran 76, Chaffee 66

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Chaffee's Jennifer Vandeven won the personal scoring duel with Oran's Ashley Dirnberger, but it was the Lady Eagles who ultimately won the game.

Vandeven, the only Lady Red Devil to score more than six points, netted 48 points on the game, including 35 in the second half. Dirnberger also enjoyed a big night with 33 points.

Oran forced Chaffee to play catch up the entire game, taking a 21-8 lead in the first quarter. The lead grew to 38-20 by halftime.

Oran took a 54-38 lead into the fourth quarter, where Vandeven scored 24 of her team's 28 points in the final period.

"It's amazing what her potential is," said Chaffee coach Tammy Brock. "We've just been in a little bit of a lull."

The loss was the third straight for Chaffee, which fell to 5-12.

Stacey Eftink added 15 points for Oran and Maria Eftink had 13.

St. Vincent 38

Herculaneum 36

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- St. Vincent staged a second-half rally to pick up a Jefferson County Conference victory.

Herculaneum held a 23-16 lead at halftime before St. Vincent (6-9) mounted its charge. The Squaws cut the deficit to 30-29 by the start of the fourth quarter and held a 9-6 scoring advantage over the final eight minutes.

Danielle Schremp led St. Vincent with eight points.

Scott City 63

East Prairie 25

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- The Lady Rams, featuring a balanced scoring attack, won easily over the Lady Eagles.

Limiting East Prairie to single-digit scoring in each quarter, Scott City vaulted to a 30-12 halftime lead en route to victory.

Freshman Loren Groves led the Lady Rams with 14 points, followed by Rachel Spinks with 12. Jenny Pinkston and Ashley Lynn added 10 points each.

Scott City coach Randy White lauded the play of Makenzie Cartwright, out three games with an injury. Cartwright, off the bench, chipped in with nine points and seven rebounds.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Scott City 74

So. Reynolds County 49

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Rams, playing the preliminary to the Three Rivers C. C. game, thoroughly dominated the So. Reynolds County Whippets.

Scott City (13-5) held huge advantages in rebounds (49-23) and turnovers (24-6), as they jumped to a 42-26 lead at the intermission and cruised to victory with reserves playing most of the final half.

Nick Steimle led the Rams' first-quarter surge, netting 12 of his game-high 21 points, with D. J. Walton added 13.

Six-foot-six freshman center Tyler Ward, getting his first varsity action contributed eight points, seven boards along with several blocked shots.

Kevin Rainwater paced the Whippets from Ellington with 10 points.

BOYS SWIMMING

Notre Dame 96

Principia 76

ST. LOUIS -- Notre Dame overcame a power outage to pick up its second dual meet victory of the season.

The electrical failure delayed competition for about 15 minutes.

"We were considering going on in the dark," said Notre Dame coach Lennie Kuper, who saw his team improve to 2-8. "It made for an interesting meet."

The Bulldogs picked up seven first-place finishes, including a pair of individual victories by Jordan Kuper in the 200 IM and 500 freestyle.

Results

200 medley relay - 1. 2:03.63 (Kurt Glastetter, Jordan Kuper, Mark Lester, Stephen Hine); 2. 2:24.21 (Josh Lester, Clay Illers, Sam Montgomery, Tim Frank)

100 freestyle - 2. John Stoverink 2:20.18

200 IM - 1. Kuper 2:24.10; 2. J. Lester 2:44.13

50 freestyle - 2. Glastetter 26.21

Butterfly - 1. M. Lester 1:08.27

100 freestyle - 2. John Fisher 1:04.08

500 freestyle - 1. Kuper 6:00.78; 2. M. Lester 6:13.05

200 freestyle relay - 2. 1:58.85 (Hine, Montgomery, Drew Boyd, Fisher)

100 backstroke - 1. Glastetter 1:10.55

100 breaststroke -1. Hine 1:21.73

400 freestyle relay - 1. 4:12.69 (Kuper, Fisher, M. Lester, Glastetter)