Basketball Recap: Perry Comes Up Short

Perry managed to keep up with McKinley until halftime on Friday, but things quickly went downhill from there. The Panthers lost 72-48 to the Bulldogs. The Panthers lost against the Bulldogs in their previous head to head back in January, too, but the margin this time around was even wider than the 60-58 score last time.

Despite the loss, Perry saw an underclassman step up: sophomore XJ Wohlheter shot 43% from the field en route to 15 points and three steals. Vince Martelli also deserves some recognition as he scored his first points of the season.

Jamar Keyes was his usual excellent self, going 6-for-8 to rack up 12 points and five assists for McKinley. Thanks to that strong game, Keyes now owns an excellent 47.7% field goal percentage. Another player making a difference was Ed Webster, who posted ten points and four steals.

This is the second loss in a row for Perry and nudges their season record down to 1-3. As for McKinley, their win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-1.

Perry and Austintown-Fitch will round out the year against one another at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Panthers' defense better be ready for this one: the Falcons have averaged an impressive 57.6 points per game this season. As for McKinley, they will finish 2025 at home by hosting Harding at 7:00 p.m. on the 28th.