Pirates hang with Hawks in final home game

Perryville boys basketball coach Brett Hale was not impressed with the way his team performed against Windsor in a 71-24 loss on Feb. 14.
“I thought we had given up,” Hale said of the Windsor game. “I thought we had a little more fight in us than that. We had some tough practices since then to see if we can regain that desire to compete and it really showed.”
It certainly did as Perryville hung tough with visiting Hillsboro, but ultimately fell 55-54 on Feb. 17 in Perryville’s final home game.
The Hawks defeated the Pirates 74-48 in December and reached the championship of the Park Hills Christmas Tournament that Perryville competes in yearly. The victory for Hillsboro (19-6) clinched the Jefferson County Athletic Association Conference title for the Hawks.
“It was a compete 180 degree turn from both of those games,” Hale said.
Perryville hung tight with the Hawks for a majority of the game, and took the lead 45-44 with 5:!5 left in regulation on a basket by Ben Hotop. Hillsboro countered with a full court press and turned the ball over multiple times with a chance to build on that lead.
“We just got in a hurry,” Hale said. “We were doing the right things and were in the right spots, but we rushed some of our passes. That comes with not being in many close games this season. We haven’t been in that spot with pressure and the game on the line. We kept fighting and had a chance. That’s what you want.”
The Pirates also had their chances to get points at the free throw line, but the Pirates missed a pair of free throws on three separate occasions in the final five minutes. Perryville went 4 for 11 in the fourth quarter from the line and 13 for 26 for the game. Hale said it has been a weakness of his team for much of the season.
“It’s not something that popped up just tonight,” Hale said. “We just aren’t a very good free throw shooting team. It’s not like we don’t work at it, it’s not one of our strengths.”

Perryville senior Ethan Blythe led the way for the Pirates with 16 points, while Jake Cissell had 12 points and Andrew Terbrak had 11.
Noah Holland led Hillsboro with 20 points, while Luka Poole had 16 points.
“He’s quick and athletic and a very good player,” Hale said of Holland. “He had 50 in a game earlier this year against Festus and I thought we did a very good job on him for the most part.”
Poole hit a free throw with five seconds left to put Hillsboro ahead 55-51 after Perryville missed two shots in the paint.
Cissell hit a three at the buzzer for the final margin.
Perryville fell behind early 11-6 after Holland nailed a pair of threes in the first quarter and the Hawks led 13-6 after the opening frame. The Pirates battled back in the second quarter after Bythe converted a three-point play and Cissell made a three-pointer to bring Perryville within 19-15. The Hawks eventually led 24-17 at half.
Grant Smith and Cissell each hit shots to get Perryville within a single possession at 30-28, however, the Hawks widened the margin back to seven on different occasions. Robert Ussery hit a three pointer at the buzzer in the third to pull Perryville within 40-35.
Hale was proud of his team’s fight.
“At times this year when we got down seven or nine points we couldn’t get back in the game,” Hale said. “That was not what happened tonight.”
Perryville will finish the regular season against Ste. Genevieve before moving to the Class 4, District 1 Tournament where they take on Notre Dame in the first round on Feb. 27.