Perry’s Kaden Brewster hit a 3-pointer on the first possession against Geneva on Feb. 3. From there on, the physicality went up several notches. From drives and finishes through contact along with fouls galore, the Pirates remained a step ahead. Despite a final push by Geneva, Perry took the win, 71-62. The win pushes the Pirates to 8-8 on the season, while Geneva falls to 8-5. Brewster’s hot start carried through the Pirates as a whole, as he made his first three shots all beyond the arc. Another long ball from Carter Hopkins pushed the lead to 12-2 early in the first quarter. “It’s huge just seeing the ball go through early in the game,” Brewster said. “Especially since we were a team that struggled scoring in the beginning of the year. But lately, we’ve been having hot starts that carry to the rest of the game.” Both sides then turned the game inside, going drive for drive and multiple times making trips into the paint and drawing trips to the line. Both sides needed time to adjust to the forms of bully ball they brought to the game. Hopkins and Nolan Andrejack hit 3-pointers to open the second, but then the Eagles began to chip away. Caden Proy led the team on a run, recording 11 straight points in the late stages of the second quarter that made it a 37-27 deficit for the Eagles. But he was one of the few players who could get shots to fall against the Pirates. Proy and Dylan Shaef were the only two players to make field goals for Geneva until the final two minutes in the fourth quarter. Coach Al Iacofano has been impressed with his team’s work on that end of the floor. “I know Caden had 35 of their upper 50s at one point. We had a hard time stopping him,” Iacofano said. “But our guys didn’t back down defensively. We had some different matchups than we anticipated because of foul trouble. But I think our guys adjusted really well.” The Pirates’ offense was well distributed, with eight players finishing in the scorebook. Brewster led the way with 25 points, followed by Chase Sivon with 21 and Hopkins with 10. Perry slowed down the game offensively in the second half, not rushing its shot selection, working the ball around and eating clock to prevent any chance of a Geneva comeback. The Pirates also started to control the glass, led by Andrew Morris with seven rebounds. “There were no adjustments,” Iacofano said. “We were just being patient and trying to wait for high-percentage looks. I thought our guys were unselfish. A few times we called some sets, and they executed really well.” While the bully ball mindset has helped Geneva through the season, Perry had the answer on itsroster. The Pirates are littered with football players and have the size through the lineup to prevent those types of game plans. While they don’t have the size vertically inside, they have the chance to battle with anyone inside. “Our whole team is football players outside of myself and Andrew,” Brewster said. “I think every other possession there was a foul on someone and we came prepared tonight and that really helped us in this one, having that game plan.” Geneva had several chances to get back in the game but were unable to find a way to get the shots to fall. The Eagles were 4-for-19 from beyond the arc and were unable to make a dent from the free-throw line, missing nine shots from the stripe. Coach Connor Zimmer understands a layoff of 18 days is going to have its effects. The Eagles’ last game was Jan. 16. But he has faith that the team will remove the rust. “I liked our effort a lot,” Zimmer said “Our drive to win games is there. I felt like my guys never gave up during that game. Something to work on is definitely going to be our shooting. We have a lot of strong shooters. We just need to execute better for them.” Geneva was led by Proy with 35 points, followed by Nate Csiszar with 13 points and Shaef with 10. The Eagles now prepare for a rivalry matchup with Madison on Feb. 6. Perry hits the road for a game with Orange on the same date. THE SCORE (FROM FEB. 3) Perry 71, Geneva 62 ...read more read less