PERRY—Four Perry players scored in double figures for the red-hot Pirates as they knocked off visiting Madison on Friday, 63-42.
With the win, the Pirates improved to 7-5 overall and 6-2 in the Chagrin Valley Conference Lake Division. Perry has won six of its last seven games.
“It gives the guys a confidence boost, but we still have to get better at practice tomorrow,” said Perry coach Al Iacofano. “The guys know that; that’s all we can do to put us in the right position to win.”
The game opened with an exciting first quarter that included Madison standout J.P. Dragas draining three consecutive 3-pointers for the Blue Streaks, who held an early 9-7 lead.
Perry closed the quarter on a 14-4 run that gave them a 21-13 lead heading into the second.
“Our guys knew J.P. was going to go on runs tonight,” Iacofano said. “I didn’t have to give them an adjustment, they did it themselves; they’re experienced, mature.”
Perry was active defensively all night, able to force 19 turnovers while also limiting Madison to one shot.
“We were just trying to use our athleticism to our advantage,” Iacofano said. “We got guys that are strong, fast, and competitors.”
Perry took a 36-23 lead into the halftime break but Madison was able to use a small and quick 7-4 run to cut the lead down to 40-30 before the Pirates put together another big run of 10-3 to take a 17-point lead into the fourth, 50-33.
As good as Perry was on defense, the Pirates had their offense firing on all cylinders.
Leading the charge was Vince Tomasic with a 22-point night. Derreon Malone finished the night with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Both Allen Morris and Walter Moses contributed 10 points each and Moses pulled down 11 rebounds to record a second double-double for the Pirates.
Brayden Richards added four points.
“We’ve been balanced all year,” Iacofano said. “All of these guys play well together, they trust each other. Our scoring versatility makes it tough to match up with us. We’re spoiled as coaches.”
Madison dropped to 10-4 overall and 6-2 in the Lake Division.
“Perry took advantage of their athleticism, they did exactly what they needed to do,” said Madison head coach Nick Gustin. “I thought their tone was good and they re-established themselves well in the second quarter and controlled the rest of the game.”
In their first game in over a week, the Blue Streaks had some rust to shake off, but Madison proved it has the ability to rally against top competition.
“We were able to cut their lead down to 10 at one point with four or five defensive stops in a row,” Gustin said. “We were also able to take the pressure off J.P. and get him off-ball and move the basketball. We just didn’t convert the shot. We’re going to work on a few things and become more sound before we take on Jefferson.”
Dragas led the Blue Streaks with a game-high 23 points.
Seth Negin contributed five points, Noah Barnes, Mac Steel, and Knolon Albert all pitched in four points, and Dom Magda finished the night with two.
Despite the loss coach Gustin is still comfortable with his team through 14 games
“I like where we’ve been all year,” he said. “It’s a close-knit group of guys that practice and prepare really well. Our division is tough, every team does something very well and defends very well. We just have to bring it every night.”
Perry visits Edgewood next Tuesday while Madison travels to Jefferson.
