Shots weren't falling and turnovers outnumbered points in the first half of Thursday's Pinnacle-Mount Si (Wash.) quarterfinal matchup at the Nike Tournament of Champions at Highland High. It was lno surprise the halftime score was Pinnacle 12, Mount Si 8.

That changed in the second half - particularly for Pinnacle --as the Pioneers shot better and drastically cut down on miscues to record a 49-20 victory over Mountain Si.

Pinnacle advances to the Derril Kipp Bracket semis where it faces Central High (Ore) on Friday at 1 p.m. at Highland. Pinnacle (14-1) is currently No. 2 in the 6A power-rankings with its only loss to No. 1 Xavier a couple weeks ago. Central (7-2) earned its spot with a 61-41 win over Casteel in an early afternoon contest. Taylor Hall led Casteel in that game with 17 points.

After a first half that saw the teams combine for 23 turnovers and shoot 8 of 44 from the field (18 percent), Pinnacle found its shooting touch. Senior guard Shaila Mays, who picked up two quick fouls and got off no shots in the first half, helped ignite the Pioneers' offense with  a fresh start in the second half.

Mays sank consecutive threes early in the third period and freshman post Kennedy Basham kicked into gear inside. Mays finishd with 13 points and added another three in the final period. Basham tallied 11 of her game-high 15 points in the second half. Pinnacle outscored Mount Si 18-7 in the third period coasted home in the final quarter.

"It was a tale of two halves," Pinnacle coach Rick Bunger said. "We've had a tough time getting our shots to fall both days so far. We finally started to hit some."

Sophomore guard Ally Stedman also scored in double figures, but never really found the range in adding 12 points. Stedman made 2 of 12 in the first half and 3 of 7 in the second half. 

Also earning a spot in the Kipp Bracket semis is Highland. The Hawks took down ThunderRidge (Colo.), 44-25. Senior Fama Thiam led Highland with 14 points and fellow senior Mattie Lamb checked in with 13 points. Lamb scored eight points early before picking up a third foul and eventually played less minutes than she sat. Highland draws William Penn (Penn.), a 51-34 winner over Chaparral in its quarterfinal. Highland and William Penn play Friday at 5:30 at Highland.

HOW OTHER ARIZONA TEAMS FARED BY BRACKET ON THURSDAY

CLARE DROESCH BRACKET

Millennium lost to Riverdale Baptist (MD), 42-38 in a consolation  game. Millennium plays Friday against Archbishop Mitty (Calif.) at 4 p.m. at Powerhouse Hoops Facility.

JOE SMITH BRACKET

Perry lost to Cherry Creek (Colo.), 52-44 in a quarterfinal game. Perry plays Friday against Dillard (Fla.) at 2:30 at Powerhouse. Valley Vista defeated Xavierian (N.Y.), 50-39 in a consolation game. Valley Vista plays Friday against Beaverton (Ore.) at 5:30 at Powerhouse.

JOHN ANDERSON BRACKET

Hamilton defeated Florida Prep, 60-57, in a consolation game. Hamilton plays Friday against Normal Community (Ill.) at 11:30 a.m. at the Kroc Center. Gilbert High lost in a quarterfinal to Macon County (Tenn.), 60-53. Gilbert plays Friday against Corona Centennial (Calif.) at 10 a.m. at Kroc Center. Seton Catholic lost in a consolation game to Skyline (TX), 55-47. Seton plays Friday against Chaminade Prep (Calif.) at 5:30 at Kroc Center.

MIKE DESPER BRACKET

Mesquite lost to Upperman (Tenn.), 54-40 in a quarterfinal game. Mesquite plays Friday against Central Catholic (Ore.) at 4 p.m. at Kroc Center. Chandler defeated West Campus (Calif.), 53-35 in a consolation game. Chandler plays Friday against Sacred Heart (Calif.)  at 1 p.m. at Kroc Center. Sabino defeated Chaparral (Colo.), in a consolation game, 44-37. Sabino plays Friday against Omaha Northwest (Neb.) at 10 a.m. at Kroc Center.

DAN WILEY BRACKET

Red Mountain defeated Basha, 43-31 in a consolation game. Red Mountain plays Friday against Thunder Basin (NY) at 2:30 at Mesquite High School. Basha plays Friday against St. Francis (Calif.) at 1 p.m. at Mesquite HS. Boulder Creek lost to Mountain Vista (Colo.) 60-56, in a consolation game. Boulder Creek plays Friday against Americus Sumter (GA) at 1 p.m. at Kroc Center.

DERRILL KIPP BRACKET

Campo Verde lost to Mater Dei Catholic (Calif.), 77-18 in a consolation game. Campo Verde plays Friday against Eaglecrest (Colo.) at 4 pm. at Highland HS. Westview lost to Columbine (Colo.), 36-24, in a consolation game. Westview plays Friday against Clark (Nev.) at 4 p.m. at Highland HS. Williams Field defeated Clark (Nev.), 49-38 in a consolation game. Williams Field plays Friday against Columbine (Colo.) at 2:30 p.m. at Highland HS. Chaparral plays Friday against ThunderRidge at 2:30 at Highland HS.