Cape Central nips Jackson for third place

It came down to a thrilling finish between archrivals as Cape Central squeaked past Jackson 56-54 in the HealthSouth Holiday Classic Saturday.

Vicky Wilson, Cape Central's junior post player, calmly sank two free throws with one second left to clinch third place for the Lady Tigers.

Fourth-seeded Cape Central improved to 8-3, while Jackson fell to 5-4.

Sophomore point guard Megan McDonald almost single-handedly kept the Lady Tigers in the contest with 11 fourth-quarter points, including two clutch free throws with a minute remaining to send them up 54-51.

The final period had its share of momentum shifts and lead changes as Jackson's Kristen Howard hit a big shot from beyond the arc to tie it up at 54-54 with about 45 seconds left.

Then came Wilson' heroics as she was fouled trying to put back an offensive rebound.

"No. Never," said Wilson, when asked if she had ever had an opportunity to win a game in the final second. "This is the first. I was just thinking that it was just another free throw, just like in practice."

After the huge win for her first-year program, Cape Central coach Sheila Midgett said, "It means a lot to just beat Jackson, period. They've got the tradition and they've had success year after year after year.

"We're pleased to get third, but even more pleased with the fact that we could beat Jackson and compete with those kinds of teams."

Jackson coach Ron Cook liked his team's effort, but wasn't pleased with its execution.

"We played a decent game," he said. "We made some unforced turnovers at times and I'm still looking for chemistry with this team and we just haven't got it yet."

Jackson came out cold in the first quarter, missing its first eight field-goal attempts, but came back late in the period to trail by only 12-9.

Said Cook, "We didn't shoot the ball well, but their defense may have had something to do with that."

A three-point play by Cape Central's Sarah Hyslop at the end of the second quarter, lifted the Lady Tigers to a 25-23 halftime advantage.

A strong third-quarter performance by the Lady Indians sent them into the decisive final period with a 41-39 lead.

"We came in as the underdogs and finally made a stand against Jackson," said an ecstatic McDonald, who led Cape Central with 18 points, including 8 of 8 from the charity stripe.

Alex Wieser added 13 points.

Jenna Leet was the only Lady Indian in double figures with 12, while Whitney Werner and Howard chipped in with eight apiece.