Cape Girardeau Central High's girls basketball team was looking sluggish late in the third quarter Monday night when Lady Tigers' coach Darrick Smith decided to try something.

Smith looked down at his bench and motioned for five new players to enter the contest against visiting Doniphan.

"I figured we didn't have anything to lose," said Smith.

Sufficiently sparked by the new lineup, the Lady Tigers -- who trailed by 10 points in the third quarter and by five entering the final period -- rallied for a 47-41 victory in a battle of state-ranked squads.

Central, ranked eighth in the most recent Class 4A poll, improved to 13-3. Doniphan, rated eighth in 3A, fell to 17-2, the Donettes' only other loss coming to Poplar Bluff, another state-ranked 4A team.

"They're an excellent team," said Smith of Doniphan. "It's a good win for us."

For much of the game it looked as if the Donettes would be able to slip out of Cape Girardeau with a victory.

But Smith's decision to turn to his bench seemed to spark the Lady Tigers. He inserted Crissi Matthews, who had started the game, and reserves Alex Wieser, Cassie Gross, Liz Hobbs and Jessica Sinn into the contest.

That group helped the Lady Tigers pull to within 30-25 after three quarters -- Wieser, a freshman, hit two free throws in the closing seconds of the third period -- and then scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter as Central went ahead for good.

"Going to the bench was the turning point in the game," Smith said. "We were down 10 and they gave us the lead. They stayed in there for six, seven minutes and really did a good job."

Sinn and Gross scored baskets to start the final period as Central pulled to within 30-29. Wieser hit one of two free throws with just under six minutes left for a 30-30 tie, then Sinn's two free throws a few seconds later put the Lady Tigers up to stay at 32-30. It was Central's first lead since the game's opening moments.

Sarah Hyslop, another Central reserve, hit a 15-footer with four minutes left in the period to make it 34-30 and complete a 9-0 run.

Doniphan kept things

close the rest of the way, pulling to within one point with a minute left, but Katie Dougherty helped ice the win by making eight of eight free throws down the stretch.

Wieser and Nichole Zoellner, yet another reserve, added two foul shots each in the final minute to help ice things.

Dougherty led Central offensively with 18 points. No other Lady Tiger had more than five points, but 10 Central players scored.

"I told the first group that the bench got us back in it and let's finish it," said Smith. "Katie helped us put it away."

Doniphan got 12 points from Bethany Orendorff, a talented 6-foot junior, and 11 from Ruby Samuel.

The Donettes, who led 11-4 after one quarter, 18-12 at halftime and 26-16 at one point in the third period before Central rallied, hurt themselves by missing nine free throws in the last three minutes of the game.