GIRLS BASKETBALL: Big second half lifts Pirates past Bellevue

After a tightly contested first half, the Perkins girls found the open player under pressure and capitalized on layups in the second half of Thursday’s matchup at Bellevue.

“When we were fouling trying to get closer, they made their foul shots,” Bellevue coach Ryan Orshoski said. “That’s a recipe for a blowout.”

He was right. The Pirates moved to 18-1 after a 41-25 scoring advantage in the second half of a 60-40 victory against the Lady Red.

Bellevue closes out the regular season at 14-6.

Perkins finished 22 of 40 from the field, including 15 of 19 in the second half.

“I didn’t exoect this,” Perkins coach Ray Neill said. “The No. 1 thing I was worried about coming in was how much would we have left in the gas tank after playing the night before. We knew they were going to come at us, and we needed to match it. It was just an outstanding effort all the way around.”

It was a classic Perkins score at halftime, as the Pirates took a 19-15 lead with both teams combining for just nine points in the second quarter. The Pirates have spent most of the season winning low-scoring games, but any idea of it happening again Thursday went out the window 2:55 mark of the third quarter.

Leading 31-24, Perkins sophomore Jordan Fraley kick-started a Pirates run with a steal and layup, followed by baskets in transition from Darcy Daniel and Mallory Mullins. Bellevue countered with a basket from Andrea Spears, but Mullins hit a buzzer-beater, capping a 8-2 run to end the quarter, extending the Perkins lead to 39-26.

Spears scored for Bellevue to open the fourth quarter, but Perkins put the game away with a pair of free throws from Shannon Ebert and back-to-back baskets by Fraley for a 47-28 Perkins lead with 4:35 left.

“We pushed it a little more in the second half, and transition is something we’re getting better at,” Neill said. “Bellevue got down a little bit and decided to jump on us, and the girls handled that well and we were able to find some people by the basket and knock them down.”

Fraley led the balanced Perkins offense with 16 points, followed by Mullins with 13, Daniel with 12 and Ebert with 10. For Bellevue, Erika Jordan scored 12 and Spears 11.

Bellevue closed out the regular season with three straight losses, but the setbacks came to Tiffin Columbian (18-0), Willard (15-5) and the Pirates (18-1).

“We’re glass half full with the three losses in a row,” Orshoski said. “We played three good teams and we are taking our lumps now.

“But hopefully it prepares us for the sectional. We’ll use it as a positive, and although we’re a little bit disappointed, we’re not discouraged.”

Perkins still has a big game left before the tournament as it hosts to St. Mary Central Catholic (17-2) on Saturday afternoon.

“We have to get excited about the second season now,” Neill said. “I don’t like to talk about our youth, but as young as we are and the year we’ve had so far, part of me thinks that might be tough.”