It’s still early, but fans in Harvey’s gym for the Red Raiders’ CVC Chagrin Division matchup with visiting Perry on Dec. 14 were treated to one of the area’s best individual performances of the season so far. Perry senior Derreon Malone scored a game- and career-high 34 points as the Pirates held off a second-half Harvey comeback, 70-63. Related Articles Kirtland vs. Berkshire boys basketball: Hornets dominate boards in 57-47 win High school scoreboard for Dec. 13 Gilmour vs. Riverside boys basketball: Second-half spurt sends Lancers to winner’s circle Mentor vs. Euclid boys basketball: Panthers push Cardinals, who don’t break in 92-83 victory PHOTOS: University-North boys basketball, Dec. 13, 2024 Malone, a 6-foot-1 guard who is also a football standout for Perry, knocked down six triples from the wing, drove for multiple layups, and sank two free throws to give the Pirates a four-point lead in the final minute of the game. If that wasn’t enough, he also had a pair of blocks in the fourth quarter, one in the game’s final seconds, and collected four steals. “Just playing together and playing physical against a very physical and athletic team,” Malone said regarding the key to the Pirates’ win. “We had to stay together through the tough moments of the game.” @Perry_Pirates senior Derreon Malone (game and career-high 34 points, including six 3s, two blocks, six rebounds, four steals) reviews Perry’s 70-63 @CVC_Athletics win at Harvey pic.twitter.com/N6GKaziQOU — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) December 15, 2024 Malone was referring to the fact that Harvey erased an 11-point halftime deficit with an inspired second-half effort, and forged a tie at 63-63 with less than two minutes left to play. But Malone hit a layup on a feed from sophomore Kaden Brewster, and then after a Harvey miss, he dropped in two free throws for a 67-63 lead with 54 seconds to play. After a steal by Perry senior Vince Tomasic with 40 seconds left led to a pair of free throws by Brewster, Malone leaped and blocked a shot by Harvey junior Deontae Ware at the top of the key, then split a pair of free throws for the final margin. Malone shrugged off his individual accomplishments as just the result of working in practice and working together with his teammates, but admitted that his late block brought a bit of redemption. “It felt pretty good,” Malone said with a smile. “Especially since I got blocked earlier by the same person.” The scoreboard read 1-0 in favor of Harvey (1-5) on Armani Hall’s free throw with four minutes gone in the first quarter, as the teams combined to miss 10 shots and turn the ball over eight times in the early going. Perry 6-foot-7 senior Josh Zentgraf knocked down a 3 from the corner for the game’s first field goal with 3:45 left in the first quarter. The Pirates built a 39-28 halftime lead on a significant first-half rebounding advantage (24-17), with eight coming at the offensive end and leading to second-chance points. Malone scored 21 of his points in the first half, firing in four 3s in six attempts, while Zentgraf knocked down three treys. Harvey, meanwhile, struggled to put the ball in the basket, especially from outside, where the Red Raiders were 3 of 12 before the break. “That was awesome,” Perry coach Al Iacofano said of Malone’s performance. He’s capable of those type of nights. He’s been with us for three years at the varsity level, and he loves basketball. It’s no surprise at all. He’s in the gym early in the morning and late at night, he puts the work in.” @Perry_Pirates Coach Al Iacofano talks about Perry’s 70-63 @CVC_Athletics win at Harvey pic.twitter.com/FYm4lRAz6P — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) December 15, 2024 A Malone 3 on an assist by senior Nick Mechenbeier in the third quarter gave Perry (2-0) a 45-35 lead. But starting with a putback for an and-1 by Ware, who provided a spark in the second half, Harvey began to chip away at its deficit. Ware capped a 13-4 Harvey run in the fourth quarter with a split of two free throws to tie it at 59-59 with 3:07 to play, and the Red Raiders tied it twice more before the game’s last few possessions swung the momentum over to Perry. Junior Chase Goines led Harvey with 21 points and 8 rebounds, while Ware finished with 20 points, scoring 16 of those points in the second half. Ware also had 9 rebounds, seven of those coming on the offensive end in the second half. Ware’s efforts, along with Harvey doing a better job on the boards and limiting turnovers after halftime, helped fuel the comeback. “This is the happiest I have been after a loss in a long time,” said Harvey coach Eric Monty, who believes that his junior-laden team is close to turning the corner. “I cannot stand to lose, but if we play as hard as we did in a game like that every game, and we lose by a possession or two, we’ll take that.” Tomasic (11 points) and Zentgraf (10) also scored in double figures for Perry. The Pirates finished with a 36-34 rebounding edge, led by sophomore Carter Hopkins and Mechenbeier with 7 each. Perry shot 38 percent from the field (24 of 63) and 80 percent from the foul line (12 of 15). Harvey made 45% of it field goal attempts (27 of 60) and connected on only 5 of 13 from the line. The Pirates knocked down 10 triples, while the Red Raiders went 4 of 21 outside the arc. Iacofano wasn’t surprised that Harvey made a second-half run to catch the Pirates, but was pleased that his team, with four sophomores seeing significant minutes, was up to the task of holding on for the win. “That was a great experience for our guys,” Iacofano said. “We have a couple guys that have been in big moments before, but we have a lot of young guys that haven’t. That’s what we talked about in the locker room (at halftime), that they were probably going to make a run. “For these guys, against a scrappy, tough, team on the road, early in the season, with limited opportunities to play with each other, to be able to stay poised and get a couple stops and a couple buckets, shows a little bit of the direction we’re going in.” @HarveyBoysHoops Coach Eric Monty breaks down the Red Raiders’ 70-63 @CVC_Athletics loss to Perry pic.twitter.com/eM1dzG3ZVk — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) December 15, 2024 Harvey will travel to West Geauga on Dec. 18 and host Orange on Dec. 21. Perry will play three times next week — at Hawken on Dec. 18, and at home against Riverside on Dec. 19 and Chagrin Falls on Dec. 21. The score Perry 70, Harvey 63