The Perryville Pirates hosted Herculaneum on Jan. 20 — and after a few fire alarms — handed the Blackcats (6-8) a 78-64 loss at the Perry Park Center in Perryville.
While the alarms turned out to be no cause for concern, the action on the court proved to be blistering, as the two teams vied for the lead in what started out as an extremely close game.
“It was a good battle for us, a really good battle,” said Perryville coach Eli Sample. “I’m just proud of how my boys persevered and stuck with it and came out with a win in the end.”
Herculaneum finished the first quarter with a slim 3-point lead, going up 18- 15, before the Pirates roared back with a 22-15 run in the second to carry a 37-33 lead into the half. At the end of three quarters, Perryville led by just 2 points, 51-53.
The fourth quarter told a different story for the Pirates, as they held the Blackcats to 11 points while putting up 27 of their own to set the final margin.
“Our defensive pressure kicked in,” Sample said. “The boys, I tell them all the time, it’s a game of runs. Things happen in our favor, and then they go against us sometimes. We just gotta stick with it, and eventually it’ll come back in our favor, and this is kind of how it happened.”
Sophomore Parker Shelton put up 9 points in the fourth quarter — half of his 18-point total — while senior Karston Schilli, who also finished with 18 points, put up 6, and senior Aiden Wendel added 5 of his 11-point total.
All told, the Pirates had 4 players finish with more than 10 points — including senior big man Josiah Paisley, who finished with 14 — and three more players who added points of their own.
Sample said he’s been pleased to see how his team is coming to together and playing as a unit.
“Our team chemistry, our bond as a group has improved tremendously,” Sample said. “Our skills have come along as well. We’re figuring out how to play with each other, and I’ve got new guys stepping up every night. It’s helping us.”
A side-effect of the mentality, Sample said, is the continued development of his bench players.
“The bench is stepping up for us, and even my starters are all playing better,” Sample said. “It’s good to see.”
Herculaneum was led by senior Tanner Duncan with 22 points, followed by senior Jackson LaPlante with 13 and senior Alexander Getman with 10.
