MADISON—Madison used a big second half to rally for a 37-33 win over visiting Perry in a battle of undefeated teams on Tuesday.
With the win, the Blue Streaks improved to 5-0 overall and remained tied for first place in the Chagrin Valley Conference Lake Division with a perfect 3-0 mark. Perry dropped to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in league play.
“I’m super proud of these girls,” said Madison head coach Heather Reho. “They’ve come so far already and they’re just building their confidence.”
The win over the Pirates was the first for the Blue Streaks since 2014.
Perry led 15-11 at halftime but the Blue Streaks put it all together in the second half and outscored the Pirates, 26-18.
Zoey Deliganis sparked the second-half run as she scored 11 of her game-high 16 in the fourth quarter to give the Blue Streaks their second four-point victory over a league opponent.
“I’m hoping our half-court offense starts to pick up a little bit,” Reho said. “This win gives us a lot of confidence, and these girls should have confidence going forward.”
Sidney Sorber may have only finished with six points on the night, but she stepped up in the clutch with a go-ahead offensive rebound that gave Madison a 35-33 advantage.
“There was a good balance today,” said Reho. “Sidney just gave us energy. That’s what we needed at that moment and Sidney knew her job. I always tell the girls that everyone has a job. If it’s not working, what else can you do to help this team?”
Despite the narrow loss, Perry coach Roy Infalvi was pleased with his team’s effort.
“I thought we played well for the whole game,” he said. “The difference in the game was some 50-50 balls. It was a huge game for us to kind of see where we’re at and see what we have got to work on. Playing close games early in the year only helps you later on.”
Victoria Lynch led the Pirates with 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting.
“Victoria’s a leader for us and she’s a really good scorer,” Infalvi said. “She does a really good job at hitting shots the whole game; she does that for us game in and game out.”
Madison and Edgewood both are 3-0 in league play but the Pirates will have a chance to play back into the race for the league championship when they host Madison on Jan. 27. But first, Perry hosts Edgewood on Saturday while Madison hosts Jefferson.
