PERRY–The Perry Pirates used a 43-point first half to take down visiting Conneaut to win their home opener on Wednesday, 75-39.
Two days ago, the Pirates opened the season with a loss to Riverside, but they bounced back to defend their home court and opened league play with a victory.
“There was good ball movement, unselfish play,” said Perry head coach Alan Iacofano. “Some guys came off the bench and contributed, gave us some good energy.”
Before the game, Perry honored senior Brayden Richards for reaching the 1,000-point mark in the loss to Riverside.
“It’s good, I don’t have to worry about it anymore,” Richards said. “Now I’m just focused on the team.”
Derreon Malone led the way for Perry, finishing with 16 points on an efficient 6-of-12 shooting night.
Malone was one of three double-digit scorers for the Pirates. Vince Tomasic contributed with 13 points and Allen Morris pitched in 10 points.
“The more balanced we are the more effective we are,” Iacofano said. “We feel like when everyone is involved that we become more difficult to match up with; we emphasize that.”
Chase Loomis of Conneaut came into the game averaging 24 points per game. Perry’s defense limited him to 19 on 8-of-21 shooting.
“It was a team effort,” Iacofano said. “We got guys that work hard, that are good athletes, and experienced basketball players.”
With the win, Perry moves to 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the Chagrin Valley Conference Lake Division. Conneaut drops to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in conference action.
Perry won’t see the floor again until Dec. 20 when the Pirates travel to play Madison. Conneaut hosts Harvey on Dec. 16.
