SALEM–South Range pulled away from Perry in the fourth quarter and went on to end the Pirate’s season in a Division III district semifinal on Tuesday, 58-49.
Despite the loss, the Pirates have plenty to be proud of.
“It was a great season,” said Perry coach Alan Iacofano. “The kids were awesome. They did everything we asked them to do, and they never quit. It was a little bit of a roller coaster ride to start the season, and in the middle of the season, which is typical, but what’s not typical is how we responded to those dips throughout the season. Our kids responded really well.”
South Range opened the game with a balanced attack as all five starters scored a basket. Landon Moore and Nate Lewis led the way with four points each, giving the Raiders a 15-9 lead after one.
Perry made its comeback move in the second quarter, outscoring South Range 14-9 to trim its deficit to 24-23 at halftime. Walter Moses caught fire in the second to lead the comeback with seven points, with four more coming from Vince Tomasic.
The Pirates used a 7-3 run early in the second half to take a 30-27 lead before South Range closed out the frame on a 9-2 run behind the play of Moore, who scored nine of his team’s 12 points to send the Raiders into the fourth quarter leading 36-32.
South Range used a 10-5 run to extend its lead to 46-37 but Perry wouldn’t go away.
The Pirates cut their deficit to 47-43 before South Range slammed the door shut with a 10-3 run that gave them a double-digit lead with less than a minute remaining in the game.
Gaven Nagy played a crucial role in South Range’s fourth-quarter run. He scored all six of his points in the final frame.
Moore added nine points in the fourth to help the Raiders seal their victory.
Although the Pirates’ season ended, they won a share of the Chagrin Valley Conference Lake Division title and a sectional crown.
Nothing came easily for the Pirates.
Nine of their total 24 games were decided by nine or fewer points, but despite all that, they won 14 games, two playoff games, and competed in a district semifinal.
“We started 1-4 and lost several league games early on,” Iacofano said. “We had some close overtime losses in the first eight or nine games. I think the leadership from our seniors had a lot to do with (our success). The resiliency of the guys on our roster had a lot to do with it, too.”
Those seniors–Ryan Zurinsky, Brayden Richards, Nick Mechenbier, A.J. Rockwell, and Allen Morris–have left a mark on the Perry Pirates boys’ basketball program.
“They were awesome,” Iacofano said. “Brayden leads us on the floor and in practice, and he’s a no-ego guy, which is impressive given his success. We had two seniors who didn’t see the floor a ton, but they showed up every day, and you could trust them. Allen Morris will do whatever you ask him to do; he’s a vocal guy and always in the right spot defensively. They were great teammates, and they worked hard. There were never any negative vibes from them. They set the bar pretty high.”
Besides those four seniors, the team is littered with juniors who played vital roles and minutes in some of the season’s biggest games.
“They were in a lot of big games in the regular season and a lot of big games here in the postseason. That’s what you want to happen,” Iacofano said. “We talked about it in the locker room; the past couple of years, we’ve been a little more dominant in terms of wins and losses, but this was great. Every game was close; you learn a lot through those experiences. Ultimately, that’s what high school basketball season is all about. Hopefully, it pays off.”
Tomasic led the Pirates with 14 points in the loss to South Range. Richards and Walter Moses scored nine points each. Morris and Derreon Malone pitched in with five points each. Zurinsky scored four points, and Josh Zentgraf scored three points.
For the Raiders, Moore scored a game-high 24 points, complimented by nine points from Dylan Turvey. South Range got eight points each from Nate Lewis and Luke Rohan.
South Range advanced to play Cardinal Mooney in a district championship game on Friday, March 8.
In other action, Chagrin Falls fell to Wellington, 50-46, in another Division III district semifinal and Cuyahoga Heights pulled away from Triway in the second half of a 61-50 win. The Red Wolves will play league rival Fairview in the district championship on Friday in Wooster.
