Heading into a Division VI district semifinal against Trinity on Feb. 24, Perry coach Roy Infalvi Jr. hoped his guards could handle the defensive pressure the Trojans would bring. He didn’t need to worry. Because of their ability to successfully navigate through fullcourt press all night long, the Pirates defeated the visiting Trojans, 47-32, and clinch a spot in the district final on Feb. 28 against Gilmour in a game that will be played at Lordstown. Gilmour defeated Norton in their district semifinal. “We played some really good teams down the stretch, teams that did a lot of pressure and put a lot of different presses on us,” Infalvi said. “I thought our girls were prepared and showed it tonight.” Mia Lynch With the Perry guards successfully breaking the Trinity press, inside presences Mia Lynch (13 points) and Emily Mechenbier (11 points) continuously cashed in with short-range shots. Both forwards also had double-digit rebounds. “That was our main priority,” Lynch said of handing defensive pressure. “We knew we were going to be pressed. We had to make sure we were ready for that.” Trinity coach Ron Donaldson Jr. said the plan was for his team to force turnovers and convert in transition as much as possible. But it didn’t work out how he had hoped. “Honestly, their guards did a better job than what I watched on film,” Donaldson said. “They handled the ball pretty well. We weren’t aligned on our defensive pressure. When we did turn them over, we didn’t capitalize on them.” Perry never trailed. When Mechenbier hit a shot off a feed from Aubrey Hopkins near the end of the second quarter, the Pirates had a 25-17 halftime lead. Coming out of the locker room strong, the Pirates went on a 9-0 run, with Mechenbier scoring seven — including an and-one — and Lynch scoring on a putback. The 34-17 lead proved to be too much for Trinity to overcome. “Coming out of halftime is tough,” Mechenbier said. “We needed to dominate and show we were still in control.” Trinity tried to make a game of it in the fourth when Nilah Thornton and Kanora Bryant hit back-to-back shots to cut Perry’s lead to 38-28. When Morgan Winters hit a jumper for the Pirates at the 5:25 mark, it marked the Pirates’ last field goal of the game. But Perry made 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch to close out the game. “I tell you what, that’s been an emphasis for us,” Infalvi said, “especially in the last month of the season.” Emily Mechenbier Aside from Lynch’s 13 and Mechenbier’s 11, Perry got eight points from Sophie Sivon and seven from Peyton Winters. Jaila Wiggins had seven to lead Trinity. With the win, Perry advanced to a district final in search of its fifth regional bid in the past seven years. It’s a rematch of a Feb. 4 game when Gilmour won, 49-45. “It was a close game,” Mechenbier said. “They’re a very good team, but we definitely wanted another shot at them.” THE SCORE (FEB. 24) Perry 47, Trinity 32 ...read more read less