FSCB Holiday Classic Day 1 Full Recap: Wild first round comes to close

The first day of the 29th Annual First State Community Bank Holiday Classic is in the books, and though the first round wasn’t exactly packed full of upsets, it still brought plenty of exciting games and headlines with it.

The best game of the day came between No. 6 Cape Central and No. 11 Chester, with the Tigers defending a big lead throughout before junior Abigail Davenport hit a dagger in the final 10 seconds of overtime to claim an unreal 62-61 victory.

Eighth-seeded Perryville pulled away in the fourth to lead a double-digit victory over No. 9 Oak Ridge in the opener, set to face Jackson in the second round on Sunday after a first-round bye.

Woodland, the fourth seed, takes on Scott County Central in the second round after an explosive victory over Scott City on Saturday, piloted largely by the duo of Addyson Massa and Mallary Barks.

Scott County Central, seeded fifth, held off a frantic rally from No. 12 Kelly down the stretch to claim a 59-56 win behind an unstoppable day from senior Nikki Adams, who simply couldn’t be contained in the post.

St. Vincent won perhaps the craziest game of the day, taking a 99-point win over Meridian in which the Bobcats of Mounds, Illinois, went scoreless through the game’s final 31-and-a-half minutes.

Facing St. Vincent will be No. 10 Saxony Lutheran, the hosts of the opening weekend, who knocked off No. 7 Meadow Heights in the only upset of the day in a 58-31 rout after trailing late in the second quarter.

Last but not least, there’s always the weirdest game, between Delta and Cairo, in which the Pilots somehow managed to get all the way down to just one player after starting with five, with Delta winning big to take on Cape Central in the quarterfinals on Monday.

Sunday sees two quarterfinals and three consolation quarterfinals in the final day at Saxony Lutheran, set to be an exciting slate with Jackson first taking the scene.

Here’s your recap for Day 1 of the 2024 First State Community Bank Holiday Classic.

GAME 1: No. 8 Perryville vs. No. 9 Oak Ridge

With an early morning tip-off at Saxony Lutheran High School, No. 8 Perryville girls basketball opened the 2024 FSCB Holiday Classic with a resounding 54-43 victory over No. 9 Oak Ridge to move into the quarterfinals on Sunday.

Down their leading scorer, Oak Ridge jumped out in front early and led after the first but couldn’t keep up with the many scoring talents of Perryville, struggling from distance and unable to cut in the deficit even when the Pirates fell flat.

Led by Aby Amberger, who dropped in a game-high 27 points, the Pirates never scored less than 13 points in a frame after the first quarter as in dire straits, they warded off elimination with some hot shooting and converted on free throws when necessary.

The win improves Perryville to 2-3 on the season, having faced some of the best competition in Southeast Missouri and looking up to the test more often than not, passing with flying colors on Saturday morning.

The Pirates get to take on top-seeded Jackson in the quarterfinals, led by a couple of high-scoring seniors and a very deep rotation that’s put stress on all kinds of squads this young season, still undefeated going into the Holiday Classic.

Amberger’s 27 led all scorers for Perryville, but contributions of 8 points from both Kara Williams and Zoe Hoehn and another 7 points made it easy for Perryville to pull out a sound victory.

Oak Ridge slips to 3-4 for the season, having faced some tough competition but typically looking to be one of the stronger small-school squads in the area. The Bluejays will get a consolation quarterfinal bye with the lack of a 16th team in the field.

Madyson Ruehling led Oak Ridge with an impressive 26 points in the loss, while Kaelyn Deckerd added 10 and Kenadie Ward chipped in another 5.

Getting the day started with the 8-versus-9 matchup, Oak Ridge rolled out to an early 9-4 lead to put the pressure on before Perryville’s Zoe Hoehn buried a big 3-pointer to break an early scoring drought.

The No. 9 Bluejays carried an 11-7 lead into the second quarter, but 5 points from forward Aby Amberger and a buzzer-beating layup from Manuela Robinson helped the Pirates to a 20-17 halftime lead.

More of the same went down in the third quarter, with Amberger’s 8 points guiding the Pirates to a 33-29 lead by the end of the period as Oak Ridge went on the ropes late.

Just when Oak Ridge needed to get on a rally, Amberger buried two triples early in the fourth quarter to put this one out of reach as the Pirates rallied to build a double-digit lead late and held on to take the 54-43 win.

GAME 2: No. 4 Woodland vs. No. 13 Scott City

The No. 4 Woodland Cardinals showed why they were ranked so highly on Saturday, using some flashy shooting and great transition defense to pick apart No. 13 Scott City in a 53-29 FSCB Holiday Classic first-round victory.

Guided by a masterful effort on both sides from sophomore forward Addyson Massa, the Cardinals pieced together a huge first-half effort, leading by 15 at the break before cruising to the finish in the second half.

Coming up with some key steals and burying them in the transition game, Woodland’s game looked fast and fluent against No. 13 Scott City on Saturday afternoon as it crushed the Rams to advance to a Sunday quarterfinal.

Woodland, now 4-2 for the season, recovers from a fourth-place finish at the Lady Devils Invitational earlier this week with a crushing victory over a district rival in Scott City and look mighty daunting heading into a Sunday quarterfinal.

Massa led the Cardinals with 26 points in the victory, while Tallie Johnson’s 11 points trailed her in double digits while Mallary Barks added 6 to place third among the Cards.

Scott City drops to 1-4 for the year, slipping into a Sunday consolation quarterfinal after dropping out of a game it led in the second quarter. Though it showed plenty talent, the Rams will need to piece it together to stay alive for a shot at the consolation title.

Skylar Watson’s 11 points led Scott City in the defeat, hitting three 3-pointers and converting on two free throws while both Lily Elder and Lilyan Landis put in 6 points in a losing effort.

Woodland came out firing in the first quarter, led by Addyson Massa’s two 3-pointers that helped ward off Scott City’s own hot start led by a couple of buckets from Lilyan Landis in the post.

Woodland did enough to take a 14-10 lead going into the second quarter, but a quick bench technical on coach Paul Lynch of the Cardinals helped Skylar Watson cut it to a 2-point game on free throws before hitting a 3-pointer immediately after to take the lead.

Within the minute of returning from a bloody nose, Massa drilled a 3-point and-1 to extend Woodland’s rally to 11 points, exemplifying a huge second from the Cardinals after Lynch’s strong words seemingly sparked a rally, leading 33-18 at the half.

A quick start from the Rams cut the deficit to 11 points, led by a triple for Watson once again, but another two 3-pointers from Massa kept Woodland hot, extending the lead to 47-29 at the end of the third quarter.

Playing stall ball throughout the fourth quarter, Woodland got over the finish line, 53-29, with some time-killing expertise to advance to a Sunday quarterfinal against the victor of the 5-versus-12 game at 1:30 p.m.

GAME 3: No. 5 Scott County Central vs. No. 12 Kelly

Try as they might, the No. 12 Kelly Hawks had no answer for Nikki Adams and No. 5 Scott County Central on Saturday as the Bravettes took a 59-56 victory to advance to the FSCB Holiday Classic quarterfinals on Sunday.

Spending nearly the entire game in a deficit, Kelly had its moments to leap over the gap and get back into this one, but Adams just wouldn’t miss, and frankly, it felt like she couldn’t miss either.

The senior post had her way all day, because even when the Hawks defenders tried to size her up, it typically resulted in an and-1 basket, providing a whopping 34 of Scott County Central’s 59 points on Saturday afternoon.

Picking up her fifth foul inside the final four minutes, the Bravettes needed to find a way to cruise through the finish, and although it wasn’t pretty, they held out for the W in the end.

The win sends Scott County Central to 6-2 on the year and barreling into a Sunday quarterfinal matchup with the Woodland Cardinals, set to be a thriller with a semifinal date against either Jackson or Perryville on the line.

Adams led the scoring load for the Bravettes on Saturday with a ridiculous 34 points, while Lainey Glueck added 9 and Camarie Perdue another 5.

The loss dropped Kelly to 2-3 for the season, narrowly dropping a game against a standout S.C.C. team that hasn’t done too much losing early this season and undoubtedly going a step above their seeding.

The Hawks go on to face Scott City in a 3 p.m. Sunday consolation quarterfinal, with the winner dueling with Oak Ridge on Wednesday night at the Show Me Center.

Kaylee Still led Kelly with 15 points in the loss, while Cecily Hall added 11 and Paige Klipfel added another 10 to round out the Hawks’ double-digit scorers.

Scott County Central came out firing, and even though Kelly fought to take a 7-5 lead, the Bravettes simply couldn’t be stopped in the opening quarter as they marched out to a dominant 18-8 lead going into the second quarter.

Kelly rallied all the way back to a 25-24 deficit off a Kaylee Still triple, and by the end of the first half the Hawks had closed an 11-point deficit to just 2 at 33-31 in favor of the Bravettes.

That run continued into the third quarter, as down 6 points, the Hawks came roaring back once more to cut the lead to just 1 going into the fourth quarter, pushing the Bravettes into foul trouble going down the stretch.

Needing a big bucket, Nikki Adams had two, burying two and-1s in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter to get the Bravettes back in front by 6.

Soon after, however, but Adams and sophomore guard Lainey Glueck fouled out, which gave Kelly a serious advantage as it cut the lead all the way down to 3.

Nevertheless, with some critical free-throw shooting and a couple more timely misses from Kelly, the Bravettes closed out a 59-56 victory to advance to the quarterfinals.

GAME 4: No. 2 St. Vincent vs. No. 15 Meridian

Beginning the second half of the Saturday FSCB Holiday Classic bracket, No. 2 St. Vincent overcame an early deficit to post an astounding 102-3 rout of No. 15 Meridian to advance to a Monday afternoon quarterfinal at the Show Me Center.

After starting the game down 3-0 in the first minute, the Indians finished the game on a ridiculous 102-0 run to eclipse the century mark and nearly win by 100 in their opening game of the Holiday Classic.

The better seed in this one looked a lot better, and there isn’t much a more respectful way to put it than that. Against a two-win Meridian team, the Indians never once showed any slack.

St. Vincent improved to 7-1 for the year, rallying from a loss two weeks ago to now four consecutive victories, this one in the most dominant of fashions to start the Holiday Classic on the right foot.

Rylee Robinson led the Indians with 21 points in the victory, including five 3-pointers, leading the team in said category while both Brie Rubel and Allie Patrick scored 17, Lana Adams scored 15 and both Kate Rubel and Haley Emmendorfer scored 11 – a whopping six players in double figures.

Meridian drops to 2-4 on the season, maintaining a staggering 3-point lead early in the first but unable to catch up as a St. Vincent run seemingly just got away from the Bobcats down the stretch.

Lailah Hite led the Bobcats with 2 points in the loss, while Kynadei Martin’s 1 point got them started with a free throw on their first possession.

Meridian jumped out to a 3-0 lead to start the game within the first few seconds, but it didn’t take long for the Indians to find a response as they rained in four 3-pointers and went on a 31-0 run to conclude the period with a 31-3 lead.

It didn’t take long for that lead to more than double, as Meridian continued its scoreless drought through the entirety of the second quarter as St. Vincent bolstered its lead to an unbelievable 65-3 mark – 65 consecutive points for the Indians.

The subs came in for the Indians in the third, and while the offense slowed a little bit, the defense didn’t waver as again the Bobcats didn’t score, with the lead increasing to 86-3 going into the fourth and a running clock.

A 3-point dagger from Lana Adams got the St. Vincent Indians over the 100-point mark, plus the foul shot which she also hit to seal the second-seeded team’s final score: 102-3, a remarkable (and incomprehensible) 102-0 run to finish the game.

GAME 5: No. 7 Meadow Heights vs. No. 10 Saxony Lutheran

In what began as a tight game, hosting No. 10 Saxony Lutheran pulled off the first upset of the FSCB Holiday Classic with a 58-31 comeback victory over No. 7 Meadow Heights in the opening round on Saturday in Fruitland.

Spending much of the first half in a multi-possession hole, it took a while for the Crusaders to truly find their stride, but when they did it got them far out in front where they never looked back.

After a rough skid at the start of the season, Saxony’s record now sits at 2-4, on the heels of two consecutive victories going into a Monday quarterfinal against No. 2 St. Vincent at the Show Me Center.

Kenzie Keys led Saxony with 14 points in the victory, while Emmalee Mueller (12) and Timora Criddle (10) both reached double digits to add depth to the scoring.

Meadow Heights, meanwhile, is now 4-3, still with a few impressive wins on the season but with a little less air going into a date with No. 15 Meridian in a 4:30 p.m. Sunday consolation quarterfinal.

Jaycee Shelton led the Panthers with 11 points in the loss, while Rylann Yamnitz chipped in 8 and Lyndi Green another 6.

Meadow Heights’ quick start ran cold, but the Panthers still finished with a 9-8 lead at the end of the first over the hosting Crusaders, who turned over the No. 7 Panthers numerous times in the first in a sloppy opening quarter.

The Panthers led for nearly a quarter, but Kenzie Keys’ backdoor cut fooled them into allowing the game-tying bucket late in the second, and Camille Richey did the same for an and-1 a minute later to take the lead back.

That late run helped the Crusaders to finish the first half with a 29-20 lead, having scored 15 of the past 17 points in the half to rally back into a nearly double-digit edge.

That run continued into the third, 10-1 in the quarter and 25-3 overall as the Crusaders just kept pounding the rock, increasing their edge after three quarters to 20 points.

Not much changed in the fourth, as Saxony just tacked onto its lead, a huge run from the late first half and into the second to seal a 58-31 victory and advance into the quarterfinals.

GAME 6: No. 6 Cape Central vs. No. 11 Chester

It took all of 36 minutes to decide the 6-versus-11 battle between Cape Central and Chester, but a dagger from Abigail Davenport decided a 62-61 overtime victory for the No. 6 Tigers on Saturday night in front of a rowdy FSCB Holiday Classic crowd.

The Tigers faltered down the stretch in regulation with a large lead, but after sending the game to overtime, some late-game heroics were the difference-maker as Cape Central escaped a wild Chester effort to advance to a Monday quarterfinal.

Cape Central, now 3-3, gets its most exciting win of the season to date, even if it comes against a sluggish Chester team. Now coming off back-to-back wins, the Tigers get to test their luck against Delta on Monday night in front of the Show Me Center crowd.

Senior Brooklynn Moss led the Tigers with 15 points, including three 3-pointers, in the victory, while Davenport’s 13 trailed her despite dealing with a nagging lower-body injury.

Chester drops to 3-9 for the 2024-25 season, showing as much fight as you could possibly ask out of the Jackets, who nearly overcame a double-digit deficit and stole a game in a major upset.

Lexie Mott led Chester in the loss, scoring 25 points with 10 2-point field goals as the Tigers struggled to guard the junior post, the lone Jacket in double figures on Saturday.

Chester fought to tie the score at 6-6 early in the first, but a big Central rally coming down the stretch allowed the Tigers to jump in front 15-6 by the end of the first eight minutes.

The traveling Jackets couldn’t cut into that deficit in the second quarter, making some exciting plays here and there but never closing that gap as the Tigers carried a 27-17 edge into halftime.

The Jackets came out of the half hot, however, cutting it to a two-possession game. But seemingly every time Chester got some momentum, Cape Central got it right back.

A hard foul on Central freshman Kanidryana Ivy brought tensions to a boil, but her free throw and ensuing basket helped her Tigers keep a 42-33 lead going into the final period.

In need of a big play, Chester’s Aubrey Coleman came through with a clutch triple to cut the Cape Central lead to just 2 points early in the fourth quarter, and a technical foul plus bonus free throws cut a 4-point deficit to 1 shortly thereafter.

Off an intentional foul inbound, Lillian Diskey buried a 3-pointer to give the Jackets their first lead of the night at 50-47, but an Abigail Davenport triple on a minutes restriction tied the game up for Central, 52-all inside the final minute.

A buzzer-beater prayer went up for Chester to no avail, sending this one to overtime after Cape Central led by 9 points just eight minutes before.

Down 2 points, with just 10 seconds to go in overtime, a Davenport dagger gave Cape Central the 62-61 lead and, just a few seconds later, the victory.

GAME 7: No. 3 Delta vs. No. 14 Cairo

Third-seeded Delta defended its ranking on Saturday night, throttling No. 14 Cairo 77-31 in the opening round of the FSCB Holiday Classic to advance to a Monday quarterfinal in dominant fashion.

Led by another high-intensity defensive effort, the Ladycats opened the game slow but eventually got the Pilots out of sorts to mount a big first-half lead and never surrendered.

The win improves Delta to 4-1 on the year, sending the Ladycats hurtling into the quarterfinals against Cape Central at 5:30 p.m. on Monday night at the Show Me Center.

Though they’re familiar with the stage, the Ladycats have a long road ahead and have a big opportunity to put together a strong win against a Tigers team that struggled at times against Chester on Saturday night.

Grace Ancell led the Ladycats with 21 points in the victory, with Jade Berry trailing her at 12. Emma Walter, Raelin Nanney and Cheyenne Welker each scored 10 to finish in double digits.

Cairo slips to 2-10 for the year, showing signs of life at times but nevertheless looking far behind Delta on Saturday night as the Pilots, just five players deep, couldn’t keep up with the frenzied ‘Cats defensive attack.

Shanti Taylor led the Pilots with 15 points in the loss, followed closely behind by Herleah Graham with 13 points. D’Ari Williams finished as the only other Pilot in the score sheet with 2 points.

The Ladycats rebounded from a sluggish start to take a 24-11 lead into the second quarter, using the press to quickly build a lead off a Cairo team that had its challenges even inbounding the ball in the opening period.

That lead more than doubled going into halftime, with the Delta defense only getting tougher as the Ladycats put up 30 points in the second quarter to go up 54-15 at the interval.

A Cairo injury forced the Pilots to take a timeout and, after the break, drop down to just four players for the final 12 minutes of the matchup after already being strung out with just five going into the game.

Delta’s lead increased by just one in the third quarter, up to 63-23 going into a running-clock fourth quarter, and halfway through, a second Cairo player went out with a bloody nose: 5-on-3.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any weirder, Cairo’s Shanti Taylor fouled out to make it 5-on-2 action still with four minutes to go. More weird? Herleah Graham fouls out in the final minute, and it was down to just one player for Cairo.

Luckily, I guess, the clock ran out before the lone pilot remaining, D’Ari Williams, could take on the entire Delta team, as the final buzzer sounded on a 77-31 Delta victory.