Perry didn’t back down but it might have been worn down by a much taller team when Shawnee defeated the Commodores 55-34 in a non-league boys basketball match-up Tuesday night at Perry.
Perry has two players listed at 6-foot even on its roster and only one of them was in the starting lineup against a Shawnee starting lineup which had four players between 6-2 and 6-5.
“We competed really well. Our competitiveness has been good all year. We’ve been fighting and clawing. But facing 6-5 and 6-6 with 5-10 it’s always hard. They just beat us up physically,” Perry coach Thomas Nolte said.
“I thought we competed with them very well for about half a game but a basketball game is four quarters,” he said.
Dominic Lynch scored 14 points and had a game-high 7 rebounds for Shawnee (5-2). Beckett Bertke scored 14 points and Nick Pasion had 12 points. Za’mere Daniel’s seven points led Perry (3-3).
Shawnee took the lead halfway through the first quarter and kept it. It led 15-12 after one quarter and was up 28-20 at halftime.
While a three-point lead at the end of the first quarter might not seen exceptional, Shawnee coach Mark Triplett found it encouraging.
“We’ve really all year been starting a little slow and challenged our guys to get off to a faster start. It wasn’t perfect but we had a first quarter lead, which I think is our second one in seven games. So that’s a better sign,” he said.
“I thought early on we were a little timid and we got a little more aggressive as the game went on. Our help defense was better in the second half and we contested shots and forced some difficult shots for them.
“I was proud of us defensively throughout the game. Offensively we were stagnant at times. But if you give up 34 points, you’re going to have a good chance to win the basketball game,” he said.
Lynch has been one of Shawnee’s top offensive players in recent games.
“Dom is coming off a game where he had 20 (points) against USV and three offensive put backs in the third quarter alone. We got 34 points out of him in our last two games. He told me a couple weeks ago when he got 14 in a game it was like his career high at any level. He has given us some offense. And he always gives us the little things and the intangibles,” Triplett said.
Shawnee got a scare when Beckett Bertke came up holding his hip after a fall early in the third quarter but he continued to play.
“He kind of bruised it in practice and then had a hard fall and landed right on it. I think he’s going to be fine,” Triplett said.
Shawnee 55, Perry 34
Score by quarters:
Shawnee 15 13 14 13 — 55
Perry 12 8 7 7 — 34
SHAWNEE
Beckett Bertke 14, Dominic Lynch 14, Alex Goldsberry 4, Nick Pasion 12, Trevick Bertke 7, Tate Bender 4. Totals: 23-6-55.
PERRY
Za’mere Daniel 7, Jason Thomas 4, Brady Shively 4, Andrew Nanchoff 4, Marcus Hill 5, Hunter Scott 4, Dezzmin Scott 4, Michael Olatunde 2. Totals: 13-8-34.
Three-point goals: S — Pasion 2, T. Bertke 1; P — none
Records: Shawnee 5-2; Perry 3-3.
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