CAPE CENTRAL SOLVES JHS IN HEALTHSOUTH CLASSIC 60-57

For Cape Central girls basketball fans, there is no sweeter sight than a swipe and no sweeter sound than a swish.

Especially when they happen within about five seconds of each other.

Especially when it happens in overtime.

And especially when it seals an overtime win against county rival Jackson in the semifinals of the HealthSouth Holiday Classic at the Show Me Center.

Cape Central senior Mindy Hoffman came through in her team's most important offensive and defensive possessions Tuesday night when the Cape Central Lady Tigers defeated the Jackson Lady Indians for the first time since the 1995-96 season with a thrilling 60-57 overtime win Tuesday night.

Cape Central (8-1) will play Poplar Bluff for the championship tonight at 8. Jackson (3-2) will play Notre Dame for third place.

After Cape Central's Sara Hyslop cut the lead to 56-55 with 1:50 left in overtime, Jackson which had scored easy baskets on its first two possessions of the extra period had the ball and the lead.

But Hoffman picked off a pass near half court, passed the ball off, got it back and coolly drained a three with 1:32 left. The Lady Tigers never trailed thereafter.

"I saw the ball coming on the pass," said Hoffman, who scored 13 points. "As soon as I got it, I passed it to Dionna (Webb) real quick. She dribbled and drew the defense to her. I saw that and I popped out and she got it to me. It looked good and it went."

"That's one thing our kids have done well this year is shoot the basketball," Cape Central coach Darrick Smith said. "Mindy hit a couple of big ones near the end and we have to do that to be successful."

When asked what she was thinking after she hit the shot, Hoffman's eyes opened a little wider, she grinned and replied "get your butt back on defense."

Jackson cut the lead to 58-57 when Andrea Koeper, who scored a game-high 20 points, hit the second of two free throws with :55 left.

Hyslop, a sophomore, made two free throws and accounted for the final margin with about :17 left.

A pressured 3-point shot by Jackson's Jenna Leet missed with a few seconds remaining.

Cape Central had every opportunity to seal the game in regulation.

The Lady Tigers, who led by 12 early in the second quarter, held a 52-46 advantage with 2:28 left in the fourth quarter, but failed to score again until overtime.

Koeper cut the lead to 52-48 when she rebounded her own miss and put it back with 1:49 left.

Leet, a freshman, hit two clutch free throws with :59 left to cut the lead to two. And Koeper tied the game with :40 left on a short jumper in the lane.

Regulation ended with three consecutive turnovers.

Both teams played well but had some weaknesses exposed.

Jackson was hurt in the rebounding department and Central nearly collapsed when Webb, the team's point guard, rested on the bench.

Smith rested Webb near the end of the third quarter and Jackson proceeded to force four turnovers and hold the Lady Tigers scoreless for the last 1:51 of the period. During that span, Jackson cut the from 38-31 to 38-35.

"I wanted Dionna to play the whole fourth quarter with three fouls," said Smith. "We just made some bad decisions on some inbound passes, throwing it to the corner and getting into some trouble when other people were open."

But other than that, Smith had little to complain about.

"All we wanted was a chance to win at the end," Smith said. "We've played some close games already and I think that helped. I'm extremely proud of the team."

Cape Central shot 57 percent from the field (24-for-42), which more than made up for its 17 turnovers.

"They hit some big shots at the end of our press," said Jackson coach Ron Cook. "It's tough to lose one like that."

Cape Central had just five players score, but none had fewer than nine points. Hyslop led the way with 15 points, followed by Hoffman's 13. Webb scored 12, Katie Dougherty added 11 and Nichole Zoellner had nine.

For Jackson, Cherish Tillman scored 17 and Heather West added 11.