CAMPBELL -- Campbell held a 20-point lead after three quarters against Armorel, Ark., in the final of the Campbell Christmas Classic Thursday night but won by just six points, 60-54, to secure the title.

The Tigers outscored the Camels 25-11 in the final frame and Campbell was 15-of-28 from the free-throw line which helped Armorel close the gap.

"Armorel got hot late and we were trying to take the air out of the basketball a little bit and I think it kind of backfired," Campbell coach Steve Fowler said. "I was proud that they got it down to a two-possession game and we stepped up and made a couple free throws to get it stretched back to a three-possession game."

The Camels had the 20-point edge after three quarters thanks to solid rebounding, Fowler said.

"Rebounding was key for us tonight," Fowler said. "I think in the first half, we limited them to very few offensive rebounds."

The Camels (5-3) took advantage of their roster depth over the Tigers, especially later in the game, Fowler said.

"We knew that they weren't going to be able to play but seven kids and they are not very deep," Fowler said. "We wanted to put as much pressure on them as possible and get out there on the shooter and make them handle the basketball and wear them down."

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Doniphan 51, Scott County Central 37: Jaysa Blackwell scored 19 points as the Donettes overcame a slow start to beat the Bravettes.

Doniphan struggled to find its shooting touch in the first quarter, falling behind early and trailing 15-6 at the end of the quarter.

A key reason for their struggles was the defensive strategy of the Bravettes.

"We had trouble against their zone," Donettes coach Jimbo Blackwell said.

The Donettes' defense got them going in the second half as they used a half-court trap to generate turnovers and give themselves more opportunities to score.

Neither team had a great day at the free-throw line, where the Donettes made 7-of-16 attempts and the Bravettes went 0-for-7. Blackwell said the difference in the game came when Jaysa got to the line.

"She struggled from 3-point range, but started getting to the line in the second half," coach Blackwell said.

Jordan Hart added 10 points for the Donettes while Chelsea Swindle scored nine.

Greenville 57, Neelyville 23: Sara Woodgeard led all scorers with 26 points and Lindsay Henson added 10 as the Lady Bears took an early lead.

They outscored the Lady Tigers 15-4 in the first quarter and 25-9 in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.

The difference came at the free throw line, where the Lady Bears made 16-of-20 attempts, led by Woodgeard's 11-of-13 performance.

"We fouled and they didn't," Neelyville coach Becky Hale said. "Woodgeard is good at getting to the line."

The Lady Bears also shot well from long-distance as Henson and Miranda Stewart each made three 3-pointers and Woodgeard added another.

"We played hard but didn't put the ball in the hole," Hale said.

Chelsey Maupin led Neelyville with eight points.

Naylor 55, Chaffee 25: Hailee Deckard scored 21 points against a triangle-andtwo defense that didn't work as well as the Lady Devils had drawn it up.

Moriah Goodrum added eight points for the Lady Eagles (5-0), who dominated the offensive glass and took advantage of extra chances to score throughout the game.

Dexter 61, Sikeston 29: Katelyn Heil scored 21 as the Lady Bearcats won Thursday night.

"She has been stepping up offensively and defensively," Dexter coach Chad Allen said. "She not only scores a lot but is a great defender as well."

The Lady 'Cats held Sikeston to nine points in the second half to secure the win.

"They did a good job of breaking our press early on but we made an adjustment at halftime to man-to-man in the second half and did much better," Allen said.

Ashley Taylor added 14 points for Dexter in the win.

Malden 61, Scott City 47: Hylisha Hill recorded a double-double for the Lady Wave with 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Kelly Lemarr joined her by scoring 14 points and pulling down 12 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end of the floor.

"Kelly is a double-double waiting to happen for me almost every night, and Hylisha has been big all year," Malden coach Chris Hicks said.

The Lady Wave (6-3) overcame a five-point halftime deficit by outscoring the Lady Rams 19-4 in the third quarter. They also took care of the basketball and distributed it well with 24 assists and only 10 turnovers.

"We did well taking care of the ball and were able to get through their press," Hicks said.

Lemarr led the team with seven assists while Hill added six and Ashley Dean had five. Hill also had four steals.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Clarkton 84, Holcomb 49: Casey Redden had a game-high 18 points and was one of four Reindeer to score in double figures Thursday night.

"We moved the ball really well and shared it around and got good looks from many different people," Clarkton coach Scottie Blackburn said. "It was just a good, balanced attack."

Dustin Ferguson had 16 points, Anthony Brown had 15 points while Devaris Parker and DeAngelo White added 12 for Clarkton (6-2).

Lesterville 70, Greenville 50: Corey Keele scored 20 points to pace the Bears, but they struggled to contain the speedy Bearcats.

The Bears trailed by only five points after the first quarter, but the deficit grew to double figures by the end of the half as the Bearcats took a 35-23 lead into the break.

"We played real close most of the game," said Greenville coach Robert Stein.

Armed with speedy guards who pushed the ball up and down the floor, the Bearcats pulled away in the second half, stretching the lead to 14 in the third quarter.

Tim Hill 12 points for the Bears while Eric Meyer had 11.

Bell City 69, Bernie 57: The Cubs outscored Bernie 25-12 in the first quarter and won on the road Thursday night.

Bernie had three players in double figures as Silas Dill and Jake Owens both netted 12 points while Quinton Stevens added 11.