PHS girls face ‘different challenge’ with Saxony

Perryville girls basketball coach Angela Fulton and her team is looking to break a streak when it comes to the program’s success in the postseason. The Lady Pirates have not won a district tournament game since 2013 when then fifth seeded Perryville defeated four seed Kennett 42-38.
That’s the same situation they find themselves in this year.
Fifth seeded Perryville will take on fourth seeded Saxony Lutheran on Saturday in the opening round of the Class 5, District 1 tournament.
The dubious is something that Fulton talks about with her team each year.
“We talk about it in the summer and it’s a goal that we strive for each year,” Fulton said. “I hope that it’s something that we can achieve.”
Saxony was moved up to Class 5, District 1 thanks to the “success factor” and its subsequent eight consecutive district titles. The Crusaders will host Perryville at Saxony High School, but Fulton is excited for the matchup because it presents a new challenge unlike in past seasons when they usually will face a combination of Sikeston or Cape Central on a yearly basis in the district tournament.
“It gives us a different look,” Fulton said. “We never play Saxony and they never play us. It’s different and I think it will be a very good game.”

Saxony will enter with a record of 9-13, with victories over Dexter, Herculaneum and Sikeston earlier this year. Perryville will come in with double-digit victories and will be a matchup and two teams with similar defensive philosophies to get up and pressure the basketball.
“Saxony has some good athletes and we went and watched them when they played Jackson last week,” Fulton said.
“If we come in and play our game and crash the offensive boards, we should be able to stay with them. A press is nothing we haven’t seen this year, especially in practice, so I hope that we are able to handle that successfully.”
The Pirates have not played for two weeks leading up to their matchup with Ste. Genevieve on Monday.
They also played Hillsboro on Wednesday and will play Fredericktown today after a long hiatus.
Fulton is thankful that her team has the ability to play multiple games before the postseason begins.
“We are just ready to get out on the court and play,” she said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to play games and we are using them to get back in the groove of things. This is the time to be playing your best and we will use these games as a way to do that,” she said.