PERRY—Edgewood jumped out to an early lead over host Perry on Friday, but the Warriors needed double overtime to put the finishing touches on their sixth straight win.
The Warriors outlasted the Pirates, 56-50.
“They did a great job of running their offense,” said Edgewood head coach Randy Vencill of the Pirates. “Kudos to them for coming out and making adjustments.”
Edgewood led 28-15 at halftime but the Pirates, who have won seven straight conference titles, clawed their way back into the game in the second half to force the extra periods.
“Halftime was about finding a way to get right,” said Perry head coach Roy Infalvi. “I thought after the first couple possessions of the third quarter we played pretty good basketball.”
The Pirates opened the second half on an 8-0 run to pull to within five points of the Warriors.
Perry used that momentum to erase its deficit and matched the Warriors in the first overtime with four points.
Edgewood pulled away in the second overtime and outscored Perry, 10-4, to clinch their sixth straight win.
“I’m ecstatic with where we’re at right now,” Vencill said. “We just have to build on this win today and keep moving forward.”
Katie McCollister led the Warriors with a game-high 23 points and Annie Johnston also scored in double figures with 12.
McCollister finished 7-of-10 from the floor and 9-of-12 from the free throw line while Johnston was 2-for-2 from behind the arc and 6-of-10 from the line.
“She is the leader on both ends of the court,” Vencill said of McCollister. “She gives 110 percent and puts her heart and soul out there.”
Mia Lynch was 6-for-6 from the floor in leading Perry with 13 points. Audrey Austin and Rosalyn Tharp also scored in double figures with 10 points each.
“It was important to us to keep chipping away and keep playing hard,” Infalvi said. “I’m really proud of that. I have no doubt that we’re going to respond. We just have to get back to work tomorrow.”
Edgewood hosts Jefferson on Dec. 19 while Perry travels to Harvey.
