Perryville's winning streak reaches 11

~ The Pirates beat the Squaws 55-38 in the Mayor's Cup game.

One of the hottest girls basketball teams in the area kept its momentum going Saturday, as Perryville beat rival St. Vincent 55-38 in the annual Mayor's Cup at the Perry Park Center.

Perryville picked up its 11th straight win and improved to 13-5. The Pirates have not lost after Christmas, as their streak began after the Saint Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic.

"Since Christmas break we've played a lot better," Perryville coach Vicki Lohmann said. "We took our lumps before Christmas, but I knew we were a solid team."

The Pirates returned all five starters from last year's Class 4 district runner-up. Thanks to some stiff competition at some early season tournaments, the Pirates found themselves with a 2-5 record after seven games.

"I knew coming back from the season we had last year, we should have done better early," Lohmann said.

"I think the girls started feeling the rhythm of everyone else," Lohmann added. "They started feeling where they're at on the floor."

The Pirates' winning streak was in jeopardy through the opening half Saturday against their crosstown rival. The Pirates had just a 29-25 lead at the half, as Jessica Welker kept the Squaws in the game with 18 first-half points.

Lohmann said Krista Miesner stepped up to guard Welker in the second half, and Welker scored just two points after the break.

"I said 'Who's going to pick her up?' and she said, 'I'll pick her up,'" Lohmann said of Miesner.

Perryville took control of the game with an 11-0 run to start the third quarter.

St. Vincent went nearly 4 minutes into the quarter without a basket and was outscored 18-4 in the third.

"In the first half, I didn't think we were as intense as we should be," Lohmann said. "Defensively we were holding them down, but offensively we weren't putting points on the board until the second half."

Amber Hacker led Perryville with 16 points, and Bethany Steffens and Annette Weibrecht had 11 points apiece.

With five games left until the district playoffs, the Pirates appear to be peaking at the right time of the season. Even with their surge the Pirates will likely be seeded behind defending district champion Dexter and Fredericktown once again.

"I'm sure both those teams will go 1 and 2," Lohmann said. "Hopefully we can get the third seed. I know our district 1 through 7 is solid. You've got to beat everyone in the district to be champs."

Perryville 55, St. Vincent 38

St. Vincent 9 16 4 9 -- 38

Perryville 12 17 18 8 -- 55

ST. VINCENT (38) -- Jessica Welker 20, Lacey Siegmund 4, Brooke Brown 4, Holmes 5, Sarah Moll 2, Hannah Schremp 2, Kelsey Kutz 1. FG 12, FT 12-18, F 13 (3-pointers: Welker 1, Holmes 1. Fouled out: none)

PERRYVILLE (55) -- Amber Hacker 16, Bethany Steffens 11, Annette Weibrecht 11, Chasity Marr 5, Krista Miesner 5, Jessica Abernathy 2, Meghan Roth 2, Alyssa Bauwens 2. FG 23, FT 6-9, F 17 (3-pointers: Hacker 1, Marr 1. Fouled out: Steffens)

JV -- Perryville 34, St. Vincent 16.