IMPERIAL — Perryville didn’t have its floor general. It didn’t matter.
Playing without starting point guard Janie Porter, the Lady Pirates relied on balance, defense and a big night from Abygail Amberger to defeat Windsor 61-36 on Feb. 25, improving to 14-10 heading into district play. Windsor fell to 10-15.
“We were without our starting point guard, Janie Porter,” Perryville coach Jason Dreyer said. “So we kind of talked to the girls about stepping up. The seven or eight girls that we played that night really all stepped up."
Perryville set the tone early, building a 16-12 lead after the first quarter and extending it to 26-20 by halftime. The Lady Pirates gradually pulled away in the third before delivering their best stretch in the fourth, outscoring Windsor 25-9 to turn a competitive game into a decisive win.
Amberger led the charge with 29 points on 11-of-20 shooting while also contributing six steals, helping fuel Perryville's transition offense and defensive pressure. Zoe Hoehn added 15 points, including 9-of-12 from the free-throw line, while Madeline Gremaud scored six points and Paula Sticht added five.
"Aby, offensively, had a really good game," Dreyer said. "Zoe stepped up with 15 points, but everybody else that played really, really great defense, and we rebounded the ball pretty well."
Defense remained the foundation. Perryville forced 30 turnovers, collected 16 steals and held Windsor to just 27.5 percent shooting from the field while controlling the paint, 38-18.
"Our goal is to keep them under 40 points, and we kept them to 36," Dreyer said. "I was really proud of the effort as a team."
Now, Perryville turns its attention to the postseason. The Lady Pirates opened play in the Class 4, District 1 tournament on March 2, carrying momentum - and confidence — after closing the regular season with a complete performance.
PERRYVILLE 69, STE. GENEVIEVE 58
STE. GENEVIEVE — Perryville delivered one of its most complete of- fensive performances of the season Monday night.
Behind balanced scoring, strong rebounding and a decisive second quarter, the Lady Pirates pulled away for a 69-58 win over Ste. Genevieve on Feb. 23.
"This was probably offensively one of our more complete games as a team," Perryville coach Jason Dreyer said. "I think we had six different girls with six or more points. We had a pretty balanced attack."
The game was tight early, with Per- ryville holding a slim 13-12 lead af- ter the first quarter. The Lady Pirates took control in the second, outscoring Ste. Genevieve 21-9 to build a 34-21 halftime advantage. That stretch proved to be the difference, as Perryville found its rhythm offensively and capitalized on second-chance opportunities.
Abygail Amberger led Perryville with 20 points, while Janie Porter added 14, including two three-pointers. Ava Robles contributed 10 points, Madeline Gremaud finished with six, and Paula Sticht added seven as the Lady Pirates spread the scoring across the lineup.
Rebounding played a key role in Perryville's success. The Lady Pi- rates grabbed 36 total rebounds and turned offensive boards into valuable second-chance points.
"I felt like we did a pretty good job on the rebounding, especially offensive rebounding, which led to a lot of second chance points," Dreyer said.
Ste. Genevieve made a push in the second half, scoring 37 points after halftime, but Perryville answered each run to maintain control.
"I think our defensive effort can always improve," Dreyer said. "But offensively, we really had things working."
For Perryville, the win reflected the kind of balanced effort and execution that can make the Lady Pirates dangerous as the season moves toward its final stretch.
