Mentor’s forte is to use its speed and put as much pressure on the opposing team as possible. The Cardinals exerted pressure on host Perry in more than one way in a nonconference matinee meeting on Dec. 28. Mentor’s defensive pressure led to 17 turnovers, several of which were converted into points. Then, in the third quarter, a trio of 3s — two by senior Hailey Watson — gave Mentor a 17-point lead which never fell below double digits the rest of the way in a 53-41 victory. Mentor improved to 7-3, while Perry fell to 5-5. Watson led the Cardinals with 10 points. Junior Nina Rodriguez added 9, and senior Alex Ferritto chipped in 8. “Our ball movement, and finding good, wide-open looks really helped us,” Watson said. “We just got wide-open shots that we were able to make.” Mentor knocked down nine 3s, as part of a 40% shooting day from the field (21 of 52). But the Cardinals’ pressure and speed in transition had a lot to do with the fact that once the Cardinals took a 7-5 lead in the first quarter, they never trailed again. “We knew that was something we could do to make them kind of, sporadic,” said Rodriguez, who notched five steals. “We wanted to emphasize that and worked on that a lot in practice. Our help side and on-ball pressure was amazing, and that helped us create turnovers.” @MentorLadybball junior Nina Rodriguez (9 points) and senior Hailey Watson (10 points) give their thoughts on Mentor’s 53-41 victory at Perry pic.twitter.com/eatyXoCWJi — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) December 28, 2024 Speed and pressure are two points of emphasis in practice for Mentor because almost all of the players on the Cardinals’ roster are 5-foot-5 or 5-foot-6, with no one taller than 5-foot-8. Rebounding is not usually a category the Cardinals will win, and that held true as Perry stayed in the game by controlling the boards to the tune of 37-26. Six-foot-1 freshman Emily Mechenbeier pulled down nine rebounds, five on the offensive end, and led Perry with 13 points. Senior Victoria Lynch added 10 points and five steals. The Pirates battled back and cut into their deficit twice in the first half, but each time Mentor found a way to pull away again. A Mechenbeier bucket off an assist from Lynch pulled Perry within 12-11 in the first frame, but Ferritto answered with a bucket for Mentor, then got a steal and another quick bucket to give Mentor a 16-11 lead after one. Perry sliced a 23-13 deficit in the second quarter to 23-20, but a 3 by senior Kayleigh Bittinger and a bucket by freshman Keira Coleman pushed the Mentor lead out to 28-22 at halftime. “The girls did a great job of creating pressure in the first half, I felt like the pace was where we wanted it to be,” Mentor coach James Hrusovsky said. “Our third quarters this year have been really successful, and I think that’s a credit to how hard our girls have played in the first two quarters to kind of wear teams down.” @MentorLadybball Coach James Hrusovsky reviews the Cardinals’ 53-41 win at Perry (Part 1) pic.twitter.com/qfrpeUgWpl — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) December 28, 2024 @MentorLadybball Coach James Hrusovsky talks about Mentor’s 53-41 win over Perry (Part 2) pic.twitter.com/10vEmhM9eF — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) December 28, 2024 A 13-2 Mentor run to open the third quarter that included two of Watson three 3s, along with a renewed emphasis on rebounding, allowed the Cardinals to build a 41-24 lead that was virtually insurmountable. Ten Cardinals recorded at least one basket. Mentor only converted 2 of 8 from the foul line, but made up for it by sinking 9 from outside the arc. “We didn’t really have to make too many adjustments,” Hrusovsky said. “Ten girls scored tonight. Very unselfish ball, which is awesome, and that’s what makes this team as good as they are.” Perry also struggled on free throws (3 of 11) and finished at 33% from the field (18 of 55). The Pirates appeared to be prepared to run with the Cardinals and handle their pressure, but still ended up having some trouble with it. “There were different parts of the game where I thought we did some good things,” Perry coach Roy Infalvi said. “We just didn’t do it for 32 minutes. Their pressure hurt us at times, and some things we wanted to take advantage of, we didn’t. @Perry_Pirates Coach Roy Infalvi breaks down Perry’s 53-41 loss to Mentor (Part 1) pic.twitter.com/KnhoEHeIAn — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) December 28, 2024 “We had a handful of turnovers in a row, that they created, that gave them a little bit of a run. We fought back into it in the first half, but in the third quarter we didn’t execute and they hit some big shots.” @Perry_Pirates Coach Roy Infalvi discusses the Pirates’ 53-41 loss to Mentor and the season so far (Part 2) pic.twitter.com/y4IqoK5C4l — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) December 28, 2024 Mentor will host St. Joseph Academy on Dec. 30, and Perry will travel to next-door rival Madison on Jan. 4. PHOTOS: Mentor vs. Perry girls basketball, Dec. 28, 2024 The score Mentor 53, Perry 41