Perry’s season opener came down to desire — and no one wanted the ball more in the final seconds than junior guard Payton Winters.
Leading 55-54 with under 10 seconds to play, Winters made the first of two free throws, then watched the second one carom off the rim. Instead of retreating, she lunged forward, sprinted past two Edgewood players, and dove to the floor to secure the rebound. Fouled immediately, she knocked down two more free throws to put Perry up three. Edgewood’s last-second 3-pointer rattled off, and the Pirates escaped with a 58-54 win.
“While I was taking my second free throw, I knew that if it missed, I would just try to go after it since there was about maybe 10 seconds on the clock and I didn’t have my teammates rebounding power,” Winters said. “Our coach always talks about hustle, and I knew when I saw the other team going for it that I had to secure that rebound any way I could.”
It was the kind of moment Perry needed on a night when momentum swung constantly between the two Chagrin Valley Conference rivals. Sophie Sivon buried five 3-pointers and scored 20 points to lead the Pirates, while Winters added 12.
Edgewood countered with a huge 28-point effort from Carly Kray and 13 each from Faith Vencill and Annie Johnston.
Perry head coach Roy Infalvi said he expected a game full of runs — and he was proud of how his young group handled them.
“I told the girls, even before the game, there are going to be ups and downs, highs and lows, and we have to keep that even keel,” Infalvi said. “I thought at the end of the game, especially the second half, we built a little bit of a lead and then lost the lead. We had some back and forth, but I thought we stepped up at the very end. For as young as we are and inexperienced as we are, I was real proud of the way they handled the last minute of the game.”
Winters’ late-game presence, he added, was a reflection of the work she has put in.
“That’s the one thing with Payton. She’s progressed so much over the past few years, and now in her junior year, I think she’s kind of feeling more comfortable in this setting,” Infalvi said. “This year, she has to take a bigger role, and she showed tonight that I think she’s ready for that. Her energy and her effort on a daily basis are unmatched.”
Winters said stepping up in a game like this is exactly what she’s been preparing for.
“It’s super exciting. I’m so glad I get to step up this year and help my team any way I can,” she said. “Big games like this are always my favorite because it shows who wants it more, and I think we did a good job tonight.”
Sivon also played a key role in keeping Perry in front during Edgewood’s runs.
“Sophie really stepped up today,” Infalvi said. “She played a little bit of varsity last year, but she was huge for us tonight. She knocked down a bunch of shots and played pretty good on the defensive end.”
Infalvi liked his team’s movement and unselfishness on offense but said defensive improvements will be a priority moving forward.
“I thought that we moved the ball pretty well offensively,” he said. “Defensively, we had some good spurts. I didn’t think we played defense the way that we needed to play, and that kind of comes with the territory of a younger team.”
Edgewood’s playmakers tested Perry throughout.
“Edgewood has a couple of really good players,” Infalvi said. “Faith Vencill is so athletic and can jump, and Carly Kray is super athletic and strong. Between those two and Annie Johnston, they were the ones to stop. We let Kray get to us a little bit tonight, but I think we’ll be alright.”
For Winters, the win was as much about the future as the opener itself.
“With this being our first game, I think that I learned about the different strengths each of my teammates has and how to pick them up or keep them going,” she said. “With this first game, I’m so excited to see how we can continue to grow together and what the rest of the season holds.”
Mia Lynch contributed to the win with nine points, Aubrey Hopkins added eight, Brynn Trefzger finished with five, and Emily Mechenbier scored four for the Pirates.
