Perry used a dominating second half to turn a 20-18 halftime lead into a 63-40 win over visiting Kirtland on Monday.
The Pirates, who improved to 2-0, outscored the Hornets (0-2) in the second half, 43-22.
“We talked at halftime about taking care of the basketball a little better and executing our offense,” Perry coach Roy Infalvi said. “We made a few adjustments and the girls came out and executed great. On the defensive end, our goal was to continue the pressure in the second half to make them uncomfortable in their offense and I think we did a nice job of that in the second half.”
Kirtland’s defensive pressure limited Perry’s production in the first half but the Pirates settled in and ran their offense in the third and fourth quarters.
“Kirtland is a very good defensive team that puts on a lot of pressure in the half court,” Infalvi said. “They forced us into some bad decisions early on but partway through the second and into the third quarter we made some better decisions, which resulted in fewer turnovers and more opportunities. We also did a nice job on the offensive glass, especially Makenzie Hacking.”
Madyson Hacking led the Pirates with 15 points. Elle Infalvi scored all 13 of her points in the second half and Makenzie Hacking added 10 points and double-digit rebounds. Anna Sorine added nine points in the win.
As good as Perry’s offense was in the second half, the Pirates were just as impressive on the defensive end in limiting the Hornets to just six points in the third quarter.
“I am so proud of the way we played on the defensive end and on the glass,” Infalvi said. “I thought we did a great job wearing down their guards with ball pressure and forcing them to run offense outside the 3-point line. We held them to a lot of one-shot possessions due to our rebounding.”
Perry played without starting forward Gigi Vicini and sixth-man Lauren Sutyak, who were out with illnesses. That forced several others to step up including freshmen Marcela Rodriguez, Jacy Anderson, Jaelyn Tomoletz and Margaux Jean and junior Katie Pietrzak.
“They all played key minutes off the bench and made positive impacts,” Infalvi said.
Amber Yurick led Kirtland with 12 points while Julia Camino contributed with seven.
Perry hosts Harvey on Wednesday while the Hornets travel to Berkshire.
Perry 63, Kirtland 40
Kirtland (0-2): Yurick 12, Camino 7, Sayle 6, Snyder 5, Wolf 4, Greenlee 4, McIntosh 1, Martz 1
Perry (2-0): Sorine 9, Infalvi 13, Mak. Hacking 10, Mad. Hacking 15, Rodriguez 4, Anderson 2, Pietrzak 4, Jean 4, Stevenson 2
Kirtland 9 9 6 16 — 40
Perry 8 12 21 22 — 63
Free throws: Kirtland 12 of 28, Perry 13 of 21; 3-pointers: Kirtland 2 (Snyder 1, Camino 1), Perry 6 (Mad. Hacking 4, Infalvi 2)
