PERRY—Four Perry players scored in double figures as the Pirates took down visiting Edgewood in a nonconference game on Tuesday, 79-72.
The Pirates put up a season-high 79 points, scoring 20 or more points in three of four quarters.
“Both teams were really efficient offensively,” said Perry head coach Alan Iacofano. “We both pushed in transition, and we didn’t have a whole lot of possessions with more than four or five passes. It was a different style game. We just had a tough time stringing together stops.”
Edgewood got off to a blazing start with Geno Measel, Logan Mezak, and James DuFour connecting on 3-pointers for a 21-20 lead after one.
Derreon Malone kept the Pirates in it with 10 first-quarter points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting, with six more coming from Vince Tomasic.
Kaden Brewster buried back-to-back 3-pointers, and Josh Zentgraf splashed one himself to give Perry a 37-35 halftime lead.
Mezak continued his groove in the second quarter for the Warriors, with a 3-pointer to go along with his seven points in the frame.
Mezak exploded in the third quarter, making three 3-pointers for 11 points, but Perry answered with 10 points from Tomasic and Brewster and Zentgraf drained 3-pointers, giving Perry a 59-55 lead after three.
Edgewood used a Mezak score and a Deven Christine backdoor finish to knot the game up at 61-61.
Malone answered, and Brewster nailed his fourth 3-pointer to give the Pirates a five-point cushion.
Perry extended its lead to 73-65 with a Tomasic fast-break dunk amid a 10-2 run, icing the win for the Pirates.
Perry got what it was looking for with four double-digit scorers, led by Tomasic and Malone.
“Vince and Derreon need Josh (Zentgraf) and Kaden (Brewster) because they help spread the floor,” Iacofano said of his four leading scorers. “They put the defense in a bind when Vince and Derreon are getting downhill because they are high-level shooters.”
Tomasic led Perry with 25 points on a perfect 9-of-9 from the field, and Malone added 24 points on an efficient 11-of-19 shooting. Brewster pitched in with 15 points on a perfect 5-of-5 night from long-range, and Zentgraf finished with 10 points and two blocks.
Edgewood fell to 4-8 following the loss but may have played one of its best games against a top opponent in the Chagrin Valley Conference.
“We knew we were in for a fight. We knew if we were close (Perry) would swing and we had to respond,” said first-year Edgewood head coach Jay Bowler. “They played their butts off tonight. Perry beat us up, got us tired, so kudos to them.”
Mezak was big tonight, taking a step back to the bench for the team’s benefit and scoring 26 points for the Warriors.
“It doesn’t surprise me because he typically starts,” Bowler said of Mezak’s spark off the bench. “He took one for the team and knew it was better for the team for him to step aside and work for a good matchup for us. He knows he’s going to get his minutes and shots. We have nine guys, and they don’t care who plays. They just want to win.”
Mezak added, “It brought our energy. We’ve shown we can hang with any team in our conference and now we’re ready to prove it.”
With 12 games played, there are 10 left for the Warriors, who continue to show improvement.
“We’re getting better every game,” Bowler said of how the first half went. “We preach levels, and we try to reach a new level every practice or game. The last two weeks have been really good for us.”
Mezak led all scorers with 26 points and six 3-pointers on 10-of-12 shooting from the field. Mason Thorr added 15 points with 12 rebounds and two blocks, while DuFour pitched in with nine points.
Perry hosts Harvey on January 17 while Edgewood hosts Jefferson on the same day.
