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Yappi.com writer PERRY TWP. In a game that featured the ebb and flow of high school basketball, Massillon guard Michael Porrini provided the shot that decided the outcome between the Tigers and the host Perry Panthers. His fade away jump shot in the paint over Perry 6'11'' center Kenny Frease at the buzzer touched off a wild celebration on the Panthers floor between Massillon coaches, players, and fans. The Massillon Tigers escaped Perry High School with a dramatic 61-60 victory to improve their record to 12-1 on the season going into Tuesday night's showdown with Division I state powerhouse, Canton McKinley. "This gives us a lot of momentum going into the game against the Bulldogs," Porrini said gleefully. "This gives us a huge amount of confidence as well. This win feels good!" "I have been coaching high school basketball for 24 seasons, 21 as a head coach and that is the biggest shot I have ever seen in a high school game," Massillon veteran bench boss Matt Creamer said. We won a close one here and we just refused to lose." Perry's record is now 10-4 on the season. In a locker room full of shocked faces and tears, this loss indeed to many was a difficult defeat. When asked about the game, Panther mentor Rob Toth said, It's a loss that we learn from as a team and try to get better." He also added that, "Our players wear Perry on their jerseys. And when they wear Perry, you play tough. We played hard tonight and that's all you can ask for. But we know that we can compete with anyone and everyone that challenges us." The first quarter was the Frease show as the sophomore center started the evening with a one-handed dunk from the right corner to give the Panthers an early 2-0 lead. He finished making all six of his field goals as the Panthers led 19-15 after the first quarter. He scored 13 points in that quarter. The Panthers began to break it open in the second quarter. Three-point baskets by Matt Ehmer and Brent Wilson ignited an 8-0 Perry run that pushed their lead to 27-17 in the quarter, which they eventually led 36-27 at the half. Massillon willed their way back into the game by hitting the Panthers with an 8-0 run of their own for their first lead of the contest. An inside jump shot by Porrini along with key baskets from Ricardo Wells and Mario Edwards were the major factors in the Tigers assuming their first lead late in the third quarter. "We got some key baskets in that quarter and we did a good job on defense. We are a good basketball team," Creamer commented. "Right now, this was a seed game and we are playing for the first seed." The fourth quarter was full of white-hot action all the way. In a quarter that saw Wells and junior Andrew Dailey foul out, the Tigers survived nine free throws made by Perry. Most important, over the 6'11'' frame of Frease, was Porrini's buzzer beating shot from inside the paint to touch off the wild celebration in front of 3,000 raucous, visceral fans. Porrini led the Tigers with 20 points while Frease led the Panthers with 32 points. "Our kids are upset," Toth said. "But we all played hard. It was a back-and-forth game and a fight to the finish." Tonight, it was two teams, headed for the playoffs with one shot deciding the outcome of this huge match up. STATS Field goals: Massillon 25/55 (45%), Perry 18/51 (35%). Three-point goals: Massillon 9/21 (43%), Perry 5/16 (31%). Free throws: Massillon 1/5 (20%), Perry 17/26 (65%). Turnovers: Massillon 12, Perry 13. Fouls: Massillon 29, Perry 13.
JV game-Perry 53, Massillon 44 PERRY TWP.-A Perry 9-0 run during the fourth quarter was the shot in the arm the Perry Panthers needed as they walked off their home court victorious with a 53-44 win over the Massillon Tigers in the reserve game. The Panthers possessed a 47-33 lead based on the game's deciding run. "That is a good Massillon team we defeated and we needed to show some emotion and we did," Panther mentor Aaron Shaffer said. "We kept that momentum and we never let it go." |
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