PERRY TOWNSHIP — You never want to lose on senior night and Perry made sure it didn’t Tuesday night against visiting Hardin Northern at the Leonard V. Volbert gymnasium.
The Commodores took advantage of a huge height disparity in their favor as they dispatched the Polar Bears 62-28.
Perry (6-14) used a 2-3 zone defense that forced Hardin-Northern into a 9-for-59 shooting night from the floor that translates into 15 percent. The Commodores also had a lopsided 50-26 rebounding edge in the contest.
Lexie Davis, a 6-foot-2 post player, led the Perry charge with a game high 18 points while 5-8 Abbie Patton chipped in with 13 and 5-9 Alexis Young added 10 points. For good measure, 5-10 freshman Kaitlyn Cox scored seven points for the Commodores coming in off the bench.
“Lexie Davis had a huge game tonight,” Perry coach Herb Lane said. “She attacked the glass and shot the ball well.”
Hardin Northern (1-18) started a junior, three sophomores and a freshman and the tallest starter for the Polar Bears was 5-6.
Perry held Hardin Northern to 2-of-16 shooting from the floor in the opening period as the team raced to a 15-5 lead after one quarter of play.
Both teams struggled offensively in the second quarter but Perry managed a 10-9 advantage to grab a 25-14 lead at the half.
Patton (nine points), Davis (six) and Cox (four) led the Commodores to a third period surge that saw them outscore the Polar Bears 20-7 in the quarter and grab complete control of the game as they went to the final quarter with a 45-21 lead.
Perry took the last period by a 17-7 margin to expand its lead and claim the win.
“It was good to be on the other side of one of these type games,” Lane said. “Abbie Patton got us going early with some nice passes and Alexis Young is starting to come around in her first season of basketball.”
Perry finished the game hitting 23-of-59 from the field for a 39 percent shooting effort.
“Their size advantage was definitely an issue,” Hardin Northern coach Brady Mast said. “We didn’t get a body on Davis and they out-quicked us to the ball.”
COMMODORE NOTES: Patton, Haley King and Becca Henderson were the three Perry seniors honored in a pre-game ceremony.
In an excellent display of sportsmanship, Perry presented flowers and gifts to Chelsey DeLong, the lone senior on the Hardin Northern roster. DeLong was not at the game due to the death of her fifth grade brother —Kyle R. “Bubby” DeLong — whose funeral will be held Thursday at Hardin Northern school.
