Tigers' troubles refuse to take holiday in first round

~ The Tigers lost a 10-point lead in the second half and suffered a 54-45 loss to Sparta.

Central's girls basketball team fumbled the ball away in the second half Wednesday at the Saint Francis Medical Center Holiday Classic, and in the process the Tigers fumbled away a 10-point third-quarter lead en route to a 54-45 loss to Sparta at the Show Me Center.

The fourth-seeded Tigers will face No. 8 Saxony Lutheran at 4 p.m. today in a consolation semifinal. Fifth-seeded Sparta will face No. 1 Farmington at 7 p.m. in a semifinal. In the other semifinal tonight, No. 2 Jackson will face No. 3 Notre Dame.

Central (1-6) led 29-19 early in the third quarter, but a porous defense and a turnover-prone offense let Sparta back into the game. The Bulldogs cut the lead to 34-33 by the end of the third and took control midway through the fourth.

"Our effort we put forth tonight was a whole lot better than it's been for a while," Central coach Sherri Shirrell said. "It was our defense tonight."

Bulldogs senior guard Lauren Buch had 12 of her 15 points in the fourth. Most of her points came off the dribble. Sparta point guard Jasmine Robinson also helped carve through Central's defenders, forcing Tigers 6-foot-2 center Wendi Zickfield to step up in the paint and rack up fouls.

Zickfield, who finished with a team-high 16 points, had to sit out nearly half the fourth quarter with four fouls. With the sophomore center on the bench, Central's rebounding virtually ceased.

"That's been the struggle the last three games," Shirrell said. "Wendi gets in foul trouble and we struggle. We need her.

"Basically they just penetrated on us, and that's what got Wendi in foul trouble. We weren't stopping it from the outside."

Central led 41-40 midway through the fourth before its offense went dry. The Tigers simply fumbled the ball on many occasions down the stretch.

Despite poor free-throw shooting overall, Sparta was able to ice the game from the line over the final two minutes. The Bulldogs hit 10 of 16 free throws in the fourth quarter after hitting just three of 10 through three quarters.

Sherrill said she was disappointed with the turnovers in the second half.

"Especially when you work on ballhandling every day, that's a bit frustrating," she said.

Central's second-half struggles marred what was a strong offensive second quarter. With the game tied 8-8 after one quarter, Central began to generate some offense in the second by pushing the ball up the court. The Tigers used an 11-3 run over the final few minutes of the half to build a 25-17 halftime lead.

"We picked it up that second quarter, and that's what we have to do to be successful," Shirrell said. "We have to pick up the tempo."

With first-year varsity program Saxony Lutheran up next, the Tigers look like they should have a shot at the consolation title. And with only one win through seven games, the Tigers could possibly build some momentum in the consolation bracket.

"We definitely need those wins," Shirrell said. "I think that will be a big help for our confidence."

Top seeds Farmington, Jackson and Notre Dame each cruised to victory in the opening round.

The Knightettes routed Saxony Lutheran 72-21. Tori Ourth led the Crusaders with 12 points.

Jackson routed No. 6 Woodland 67-32 behind 12 points from Kelci Keith. Ten players got into the scoring column for the Indians (4-3).

Lauren Johnson led the Cardinals with 12 points.

In the nightcap, Notre Dame knocked off No. 6 Perryville 55-21. Kristain Burger led Notre Dame (6-1) with 17 points.

Kendra Schilli led the Pirates with eight points. Perryville will play Woodland in the consolation semifinals.

Sparta 54, Central 45

Sparta 8 9 16 21 -- 54

Central 8 17 9 11 -- 45

SPARTA (54) -- Ashley Perry 16, Lauren Buch 15, Wendy Dunn 9, Jasminme Robinson 6, Rachel Peck 4. FG 20, FT 13-26, F 9 (3-pointers: Buch 1. Fouled out: none)

CENTRAL (45) -- Wendi Zickfield 16, Courtney Schuessler 8, Christina Sexton 8, Sarah Uptmor 5, Kristin Shirrell 4, Mary Pearson 2, Taylor Kirn 2. FG 20, FT 4-10, F 20 (3-pointers: Uptmor 1. Fouled out: Sexton)

Farmington 72, Saxony Lutheran 21

Saxony 6 9 0 6 -- 21

Farmington 21 23 18 10 -- 72

SAXONY LUTHERAN (21) -- Angel Stone 2, Cassie Simpher 2, Nicole Ottersburg 2, Tori Ourth 12, Shelby Haupt 2, Kara Versemann 1. FG 9, FT 3-4, F 11 (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none)

FARMINGTON (72) -- Danielle Wests 4, Natalie Sago 9, Taylor Jensen 6, Kelsey Detring 4, Holly Russell 8, Briley Milfeld 6, Sydney Winslow 10, Daniell Litrell 9, Christine Luedecke 4, Tiffany Sucharski 6, Sarah Ward 6. FG 30, FT 11-14, F 7 (3-pointers: Sago 2. Fouled out: none)

Jackson 67, Woodland 32

Woodland 5 8 13 6 -- 32

Jackson 22 18 20 7 -- 67

WOODLAND (32) -- Tasha Lincoln 6, Lauren Johnson 12, Kyla Choate 4, Rheanna Greer 2, Taylor Steckman 2, Cortney Glastetter 2, Francee VanGennip 4. FG 14, FT 1-2, F 9 (3-pointers: Choate 1, Johnson 2. Fouled out: none)

JACKSON (67) -- Gabrielle Garritano 8, Amanda Peiffer 3, Andrea Barnes 8, Kelci Keith 12, Cody Goodpasture 6, Lindsay Poole 4, Allison Smith 4, Ashley Charboneau 8, Ashten Howard 2, Jenni Tenholder 8. FG 27, FT 5-10, F 5 (3-pointers: Keith 3, Barnes 2, Smith 1, Charboneau 1. Fouled out: none)

Notre Dame 55, Perryville 21

Perryville 6 6 4 5 -- 21

Notre Dame 9 13 23 10 -- 55

PERRYVILLE (21) -- Alicia Kueker 1, Ava Johnson 4, Kendra Schilli 8, Alyssa Bauwens 2, Makenzie Schirmer 4, Kim Miesner 2. FG 10, FT 1-5, F 15 (3-pointers: none. Fouled out: none)

NOTRE DAME (55) -- Brooke Beussink 6, Paris Burger 6, Emily Brumitt 4, Meridith Medlin 5, Kristain Burger 17, Alex Fowler 6, Amadna Pleimann 2, Claudia Brauss 9. FG 23, FT 7-9, F 9 (3-pointers: Beussink 2. Fouled out: none)