The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Perry bows out in D-II regional semi to SVSM
Perry storms out of the gate strong in a Division II regional semifinal against Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary. But the Fighting Irish prevail to end the Pirates’ campaign. Nate Barnes has a full recap.
BARBERTON » Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary controlled the glass at each end of the floor, held Perry without a field goal for nearly 10 minutes of game time and defeated the Pirates, 60-52, in a Division II Barberton Regional semifinal March 5.
The Fighting Irish roster contained four players listed at 6-foot or taller, led by 6-foot-2 Lanae Riley and 6-foot-3 Aubrie Marsh. Perry defended many of St. Vincent-St. Mary’s first shot attempts, but the Fighting Irish consistently dominated the offensive glass until they score or earned a trip to the foul line.
The Fighting Irish shot 16 of 28 from the foul line.
“We rebounded when we needed it,” St. Vincent-St. Mary coach Carley Whitney said. “We made free throws when we needed it. We went on that run at the end of the second quarter. That saved the game.”
Riley led the Fighting Irish with 13 points, while Maria Dobson and Annie Watson added 11 apiece. St. Vincent-St. Mary advances to the D-II Barberton Regional final March 8.
Perry’s Elle Infalvi led all scorers with 19 points, including five 3-pointers. Fellow sophomore Madyson Hacking added 14 points.
The Pirates opened the game with an 11-2 run. Hacking opened Perry’s scoring with a deep 3-pointer before Infalvi followed with two makes. Anna Sorine’s layup pre-empted a St. Vincent-St. Mary timeout. The Fighting Irish cut the Pirates lead to two, 15-13, by the end of the quarter.
Hacking’s 3-pointer tied the score, 18-18, early in the second. St. Vincent-St. Mary outscored Perry, 15-4, in the final minutes of the half to go up, 33-22. Nearly six minutes elapsed in the third quarter before the Pirates made another basket, a 3-pointer from Infalvi. The Fighting Irish led, 4431, headed to the fourth.
Sorine opened the fourth with a layup and Infalvi followed with her fourth 3 to cut St. Vincent-St. Mary’s lead to eight, 44-36. The Pirates drew within six, 4943, on Sydney Moon’s 3 with three minutes to play. Ultimately, the Fighting Irish’s rebounding ability allowed them to secure a trip to the regional title game.
Perry coach Roy Infalvi Jr. wasn’t surprised his team rallied against a formidable opponent.
“This team doesn’t quit, and they haven’t all year,” Infalvi said. “I told them at halftime, we’ve been down by 10 before and come back and taken leads, come back and won games. We’ve done it a couple times this year, so they believed they could still stay in it and go.”
The loss concluded a 21-5 season for the Pirates, who won the CVC Chagrin and Ashtabula District titles. Perry loses two seniors from its roster, although they are important pieces in point guard Anna Sorine and Makenzie Hacking.
But between the return of his sophomore leading scorers, Elle Infalvi and Madyson Hacking, and a rising crop of new talent, Roy Infalvi is confident headed into upcoming seasons.
“I plan on us competing for district titles for the next handful of years,” Infalvi said. “I think we can. I’m not just saying that. I think we’ll be in that mix.”