Perry returns three starters from last year’s squad that finished 20-5 overall and 13-1 in the Chagrin Valley Conference but the Pirates are relatively young.
Included among the projected starting lineup are two sophomores and a freshman and first-year head coach Roy Infalvi, Jr. expects four more freshmen to contribute this winter.
“I am very optimistic about the potential we have on this team,” Infalvi said. “The team works extremely hard day in and day out and it will pay off in the end. We only have four girls with varsity experience, so we may have some growing pains early in the year as a result.”
Perry’s returning starters include senior Anna Sorine, sophomore Madyson Hacking and sophomore Elle Infalvi.
Sorine, a point guard, averaged six points, five rebounds and five assists last winter in earning honorable mention all-league honors.
“Anna is one of the best on-ball defenders in the area,” Coach Infalvi said. “Her work ethic is unmatched and she is the leader of this team.”
Hacking and Infalvi both are guards. Hacking averaged 7.5 points, six rebounds and five assists in being named second team All-Chagrin Valley Conference. Infalvi scored 7.5 points with three rebounds and two assists per contest last season.
“Madyson is a great all-around player. She can score, she can distribute, and she can defend. She is a gym rat and her hard work will show on the floor this year,” Coach Infalvi said. “Elle has put in a lot of work this offseason to develop her overall game. She is one of our best shooters and is starting to become a very good defender.”
Senior Mackenzie Hacking and freshman Gigi Vicini are expected to round out the starting lineup.
Hacking is a returning varsity letter winner who averaged three points and four rebounds per game while Vicini will see her first varsity action.
“Mackenzie has worked tremendously hard this offseason and her play on the court has improved greatly as a result,” Infalvi said. “Gigi is very athletic and has the ability to defend a guard or a post. She competes day in and day out. I sometimes forget that she is only a freshman.”
Juniors Lauren Sutyak and Katie Pietrzak and freshmen Marcella Rodriguez, Jaelyn Tomoletz, JaC’ana Anderson and Margaux Jean also are expected to contribute for the Pirates.
Sutyak and Pietrzak both can play forward or guard.
“Lauren is a versatile player who can play both forward and guard. She continues to get better on both ends of the court each day,” Infalvi said. “Katie is a workhorse. She lays it on the line day in and day out. She will provide depth for us, especially on the defensive end.”
Rodriguez, Tomoletz and Jean are guards.
“Marcella has the potential to be a great defender. We are excited to watch her development throughout this season,” Infalvi said. “Jaelen has a nice shot and we will need her to provide some scoring this year. We believe Margaux might have the biggest upside in our program. She can handle the ball and has a good shot. The more practice and game experience she gets the better she will become.”
Anderson is a forward.
“We are very excited to see Jacy’s development,” Infalvi said. “She has the potential to be a dominant post player.”
Despite their relative youth, the Pirates hope to win another CVC title and push for the district title.
That success starts on defense.
“We are very athletic and we will use that on the defensive end,” Infalvi said. “We need to be solid on the defensive end night in and night out. Our inexperienced and young players need to be able to step up and provide depth for us to be successful this season.”
