The last time a Chagrin Falls team beat the Perry Pirates was Jan. 14, 2015.
The last time a Chagrin Falls team beat the Perry Pirates was Jan. 14, 2015.
Head Coach Brittany Laseak was in her sixth year and had two very familiar Tigers on her roster: twin sisters Hannah and Hallie Thome.
The Tigers defeated Perry 56-29 in convincing fashion, and went on to finish the season 26-1, their lone loss in the third round of the playoffs to West Branch. Laseak’s team won the CVC Chagrin division with a perfect 10-0 record in the conference.
Fast forward seven years, Dec. 2, 2022, and the Tigers just picked up a 44-40 overtime win over the Pirates on the road.
“This year there’s been a bit of uncertainty coming into the game and in the season, so with this, we have confidence behind us,” said senior guard Jenna Santamaria. “We’re really looking forward to how the season will go after this.”
The Pirates came into the game on a two-game winning streak over Willoughby South and Ashtabula Lakeside, while Chagrin Falls came with a recent win over Beachwood, 62-40.
Perry won the opening tip, and capitalized immediately on a three from senior guard Kaitlyn Newsome. After the shot, Perry applied a full-court man press, making it difficult for the Tigers to get past half court.
The Pirates forced a five-second violation on Chagrin Falls on the inbounds play, where Jenna Santamaria was unable to find an open teammate.
The Pirates led 6-0 two minutes into the contest. Coach Laseak called her first timeout about three minutes into the game, after a fast break was successful for the Pirates. In their first three offensive possessions, the Tigers were unable to score or get a clean shot off. Lilly Stukus attempted a three, but was unsuccessful; it was the first shot attempted for the Tigers with five minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
Senior forward Kate Bartlett connected on a free throw to score the first points of the contest for her team with 4:45 remaining in the first quarter. On the next possession, Elana McGinnis stole a pass from the Pirates, scoring two and cutting the home team’s lead to four.
On the other end, Grace McKoon scored on a three-point play, stretching the lead back to seven, 10-3.
Stukus connected on a three, but another steal from McGinnis cut the deficit to three.
After Izzy McKoon knocked down both free throws, the Pirates led by five with 51 seconds. A missed opportunity for the Tigers gave the ball back to Perry and McKoon, who posted another three off of the inbounds play.
Elena Goodwin added a free throw, and helped carve into the Pirates’ lead.
After one, the Pirates led 14-8, McKoon leading all scorers with eight points. McGinnis and Stukus each added three points for the Tigers in a balanced offense.
On a trip to the free throw line, McKoon connected on one of two shots, then Santamaria picked up her first points of the evening with a three that she banked off of the glass. With the shot, the Tigers trailed by four, 11-15. On her next offensive possession, Santamaria had a step on her defender, scoring two and finishing with a free throw on the three-point play. The Pirates’ lead was cut to one point.
Head Coach Roy Infalvi Jr. finally pulled off his full-court press with 4:39 remaining in the first half. On back-to-back possessions, the Tigers would turn the ball over.
Back-and-forth the two teams would go, halfway through the second quarter, where the Pirates led 24-18 going into the half.
The teams would be even, each scoring 10 points in the second quarter. Leading the way offensively for the visiting Tigers was Santamaria, who connected on two important threes to cut into the lead of the Pirates. McKoon led all scorers with 13 first-half points.
Chagrin Falls had the ball to start the third quarter, when both teams missed on their first offensive possessions. After another big-time three from Santamaria, the Tigers trailed by just three.
Coach Laseak’s team talked about its defensive effort at halftime, halting the Pirates to four scoreless possessions to begin the third quarter. Perry finally earned its first points of the second half with 5:10 remaining, where McKoon sank two free throws.
McGinnis muscled her way for two points as she was contested at the hoop. Then Stukus knocked down a big-time three, cutting into the Pirates’ lead 28-26.
Newsome answered with her own three, lengthening her team’s lead to 31-26. But Coach Infalvi would call a timeout after the made shot with two minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Out of the timeout, Bartlett found some space in the corner and scored two, her first points since the opening quarter. Stukus pulled down an offensive rebound, scoring at the buzzer. The Pirates led by just one point.
Lilly Stukus proved to be big time for the Tigers as a freshman last year, and she made three to start the fourth quarter. Stukus was named All-Ohio last season while also earning First-Team CVC and 2nd Team District. Her big-time shot would give the Tigers the lead at 33-31.
With a little less than four minutes remaining in the contest, McGinnis found herself at the free throw line, connecting on one of two. The teams would exchange turnovers before Rosalyn Tharp scored two in the paint, cutting Perry’s deficit to one. After the shot, Coach Infalvi called a timeout with two minutes remaining.
The Pirates jumped out in full-court pressure, and after a near-steal by Newsome, McGinnis found space on the floor but could not connect. The ball would go off of McGinnis while she was out of bounds, giving the ball back to the Pirates with 55 seconds remaining.
Chagrin Falls called a timeout with 37 seconds ticking. Out of timeout, sophomore Audrey Austin tagged on a three, reclaiming the lead, 35-34 for the Pirates.
Coach Laseak would then call a full timeout with 15 seconds remaining in the contest. A foul would be called on the Pirates, forcing Stukus to go to the free throw line for two. She missed her first, but knocked down the second. The game would be tied for three seconds remaining.
After the shot, Coach Laseak asked for another timeout, followed by Perry. The Pirates would have a final shot to win the game at regulation, but a turnover forced by the Tigers would extend the game to its first overtime.
The jump ball was won by the Tigers, but an unsuccessful first possession would turn the ball over to the Pirates. Bartlett stepped into the key and took charge, giving her team another offensive possession. Abby Coy knocked down two important free throws, reclaiming the lead, 37-35.
Santamaria got crafty in the paint to spin and score two, stretching the lead to four points. A turnover forced by the Tigers with 52 seconds left in the first overtime gave the ball back to Laseak’s team.
A steal recorded by McKoon cut the Tigers’ lead to four with 40 seconds left. Chagrin took a timeout to talk things over on the offensive end.
At the line, McGinnis went for two, followed by Stukus, who extended her team’s lead to 42-37.
Another big-time three from Austin trimmed the lead to two with less than two seconds remaining. A couple free throws finally sealed the Tigers’ win, 44-40.
Lilly Stukus paced her team with 17 points, Santamaria added 11, Elana McGinnis pitched in nine, and Bartlett and Coy each added three. Stukus also grabbed 11 rebounds, giving her her first double-double of the season. Bartlett led the way on the defensive end, picking up three steals in the win.
“Our game plan was to come in and play as a team,” Stukus said. “We focus on our defense in practice and our pressure, and we just try to be as aggressive as possible. We came in knowing we had to give our 100 percent and go as hard as possible.”
With the win, the Tigers improve to 2-1 overall, 1-0 in the conference.
