by North Olmsted, OH-
The Sandusky Perkins Pirates from Erie County traveled to Cuyahoga County and the friendly confines of the North Olmsted High School gymnasium on Friday night.
This is the first game for the Pirates and the Eagles came into the game with a record of 0-1 with a loss last Tuesday night to Sheffield Brookside.
The first quarter was a back and forth tug of war with neither team able to pull away from the other. The Pirates rely heavily on their athleticism and quickness by running a full court press on all made baskets. The Eagles were able to handle the pressure with relative ease in the first quarter. Eagles F Alex Pullin’s hot shooting in the first quarter allowed the Eagles to keep pace with the Pirates with two early 3 point baskets.
It became very evident early on that the Pirates were going to make the movement of the ball by the Eagles very difficult. Pirates G Gavin Hemphill’s hot shooting with two early 3 point baskets silenced the hostile Eagle student section. The score at the end of the first quarter was Pirates 17 Eagles 14.
The second quarter was much the same as the first quarter with both teams going back and forth with great shooting and exceptional passing. The Eagles received a jolt from their bench when G Kam Swanson entered the game.
He was able to use his speed and agility to beat the Pirates press with ease and hit two big 3-point shots to get the Eagle crowd to go crazy. Pirates F Jayden Rowe began to impose his will in the second quarter with 5 baskets in the second quarter all assisted by G Joey Diederich. Halftime score Pirates 28 Eagles 22
The third quarter was again much of the same and saw the Eagles get within 4 points of the Pirates. The Eagles were led in the quarter by F Xavier Balson who had all 4 baskets in the quarter off of several hustle plays and offensive rebounds. Jayden Rowe continued his strong performance with 3 baskets in the quarter and the Pirates were able to stretch their lead. The end of the third quarter showed the scoreboard at Pirates 40 Eagles 30.
The fourth quarter was a quarter defined by numerous Eagle turnovers and missed opportunities. The Eagles were forced into their full court pressure which led to many easy baskets and several dunks for the Pirates. Pirates F Michael Young scored 12 points in the final frame to seal the deal for them.
Final Score Pirates 63 Eagles 42
The Eagles moved to 0-2 on the year and will travel to Parma to take on the Normandy Invaders on Tuesday December 6th for their first GLC clash.
The Pirates move to 1-0 and will travel to Bellevue next Friday December 9th to take on Bellevue High School
