The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Perry topples North in nonconference game
Sophomore guard Drew Schiano scored 24 points to lead the host Pirates past the Rangers on Dec. 9. Perry made 10 of its first 14 shots from the field.
Perry has five players that are 6-foot-2 or taller listed on its roster.
No player stood taller for the Pirates in their seasonopening 69-61 victory over visiting North than 5-foot-8 sophomore guard Drew Schiano.
Schiano poured in a game-high 24 points, 15 of those from outside the 3-point arc, as the Pirates led from start to finish and held off two North rallies that brought the Rangers within 1 point from a 12-point deficit, and later within 4 from 14 points down.
“That’s not a surprise,” Perry coach Al Iacofano said regarding Schiano’s breakout game. “We’ve had our eye on him in our program ever since he was in third grade. He’s a great basketball player. He’s always in the gym getting shots up. He has a high basketball IQ. He’s going to go through some growing pains as a sophomore, but it was great to see him get out to a great start.”
Along with Schiano, Perry as a team got off to a great start. The Pirates shot 10-of-14 from the field and pulled down 11 rebounds in the first quarter, while North had a cold 5-of-18 first quarter showing. This allowed the Pirates to build leads of 18-6 and 20-8 before settling on a 23-13 lead going into the second frame.
“The start to the game was a big deal,” said Iacofano, whose squad has just three seniors. “We got out in transition well, and we got to the basket a couple times. The defense was high-energy. It gave guys that weren’t used to having varsity experience a little bit of confidence for the rest of the game.”
North (1-2) climbed back into it in the second quarter, holding Perry to nine points while forcing eight turnovers. The Rangers went into the half down five, 32-27.
A put-back to start the second half by North’s Jake Tanski, followed by a basket by teammate Aaron Broja, brought the Rangers to within 32-31 early in the third. It was a 40-36 game in Perry’s favor entering the fourth quarter.
Schiano opened the fourth quarter with a layup off of a steal, then drilled a three-pointer after another steal to open up a 9-point Pirate lead. Perry extended that lead to 54-40 before North battled back to within 62-58 behind Brandon Barron, who scored 13 of his team-high 23 in the fourth.
Schiano split a pair from the line, then Tyler Horvath and Nate Cubbison scored for the Pirates, and Jake Reid hit two from the line as Perry outscored the Rangers 7-3 down the stretch to seal it.
“Tonight and last night, we’ve had to play from behind,” North coach Rob Koelling said, referring to Rangers’ Dec. 8 loss to Mayfield. “You see how close it is at the end of the game, and the intensity and the overall effort that we’re finishing the game with. We have to start in the first quarter with that, and put ourselves in a better position. Playing from behind, as we are now, is not where we want to be.”
Mikey Duleba added 10 points for North, which shot 36 percent from the field (21-of-58). Broja had eight rebounds and Barron had five steals for the Rangers, who will host Brush on Dec. 12.
“We started off strong, in game one (win over Geneva),” Koelling said. “The last two games, it’s been our overall defense and not containing our guy. The intensity that we’ve been finishing with has been good, but not the first two and a half quarters. When we bring it for four quarters, we’re a pretty darn good team. Offensively, we’re not shooting the ball well right now, so we have to get more shots to drop and take higher percentage shots.”
Reid, a junior who had an area-record 14 interceptions as a defensive back for the Pirates’ regional-final football team, scored 15 points to back up Schiano, while freshman Jaylen Anderson, another Pirate gridiron sensation, added 10, including a breakaway dunk in the first quarter, Perry will open CVC Chagrin play on Dec. 12 at Wickliffe.
“I don’t want to call it a surprise, because the guys have been working hard, they play together, and they’re fun to coach,” Iacofano said of the seasonopening victory. “But at the same time, in a game one you don’t know exactly what you’re going to get when you have a lot of new faces in regards to getting varsity minutes. So yeah, it’s a good way to get some confidence, and hopefully we’ll get some momentum heading into next week.”