LADY TIGERS ROUT FARMINGTON IN CLASSIC FASHION, WIN 47-26

Cape Central coach Mark Ruark couldn't have asked for a better first round.

In the Lady Tigers' 47-26 win over Farmington in the HealthSouth Holiday Classic Wednesday, not only did Cape Central advance to the semifinals, it destroyed a potential district foe, played suffocating defense and possibly discovered a freshman jewel in the process.

Megan McDonald, a ninth-grade guard who was recently promoted from junior varsity, led Central with 10 points, showing an ability to create opportunities off the dribble and play tough defense.

"We needed to bring her up because of a lack of depth," said Ruark, adding that McDonald had played in two varsity games but had not scored a point until Wednesday. "This was a tough basketball game for her to be involved in, being a freshman and playing at the Show Me Center. She really responded."

McDonald -- who is not even listed on the roster in the HealthSouth program -- wasn't the only one who responded for the Lady Tigers (5-1), who are ranked 10th in Class 4A.

Central, who will play second-ranked and top-seeded Poplar Bluff in the semifinals tonight at 7, came out on fire, outscoring the Knightettes (5-2) 17-5 in the first quarter.

"We put a lot of emphasis on coming out and playing well in the first quarter," said Ruark. "After not playing in two weeks, I thought it was critical that we get out to a fast start."

Central made six of its 10 shots in the first quarter and made all four of its free throws.

After outscoring Farmington by 12 in the first eight minutes of play, the Lady Tigers outscored Farmington by 12 the rest of the game.

Central's shooting touch faded after the first quarter as it shot 33 percent for the game. But its defensive pressure never faltered as the Lady Tigers held Farmington to single digits in all four quarters.

Farmington standout Lisa Boyd -- a 6-foot-2 center -- was held to only six points, 12 points below her season average.

"We played very good defense," said Ruark. "I thought we needed to contain Boyd and we did more than that, really. I just can't say enough with the way we played defense."

The Knightettes shot just 21 percent from the field (8-for-39).

"They played just like I thought they would," said Farmington coach Steve McFarland. "They take their time and take good shots. I told our girls that if you would've told me before the game that we would hold them to 47 points, we would win. But it didn't turn out that way. They shot well and we shot poorly and that was the difference."

"Farmington is a good basketball team," Ruark said. "They're a lot better than they showed today."

McDonald was the only player for either team to score in double figures, but Central had four players with at least seven points and eight players found the scoring column.

* Going into the tournament, the consensus among the coaches was that there would be some close first-round games. Surprisingly, the smallest margin of victory was 21 points and the average margin was 33 points. The semifinals should provide more drama, however. Of the four teams remaining, only Jackson is not state-ranked. Notre Dame (8-1) is ranked second in Class 2A and Poplar Bluff (8-1) is ranked third in 4A.