Perkins takes care of ball, runs past Streaks

PERKINS TWP. — Perkins committed only three turnovers in the first three quarters of its crosstown showdown with Sandusky. The Pirates handled the Blue Streaks' pressure defense and continually got good looks from close range to run away with a 75-59 Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division win Friday in front of a capacity crowd in Perkins' cozy gym. "I thought our guys played fast, aggressive and smart," Perkins coach Andy Hoying said. "We took care of the ball, which was a huge emphasis all week. We definitely executed what we were trying to do. It was a great team win; everybody contributed across the board." The Pirates, who improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the SBC Lake, had four players score in double figures and shot 50 percent from the field. Levi Groot led the way with 18 points — 10 coming in a first quarter that set the tone. Perkins led 21-8 after eight minutes and never trailed after the opening two minutes. "Levi Groot came out fantastic," Hoying said. "He had a couple buckets early and really carried us early and gave us that spark throughout the game." Kaden Legando came off the bench to score 13 points — many of them on aggressive drives into the lane. Sam Schweinfurth added 12 points and Kellen Glass finished with 10. Perkins has plenty of guys who can handle the ball, but point guard Bryce Davie was the Pirate who kept the home team's offense humming. "We really worked in practice on not turning the ball over," Davie said. "We got pressured in practice and everyone did their job. Everyone handled the ball well, which was one of the key reasons we won the game." Because Perkins took care of the ball (six turnovers in the game), Sandusky wasn't able to make a run. "Those (turnovers) can lead to easy buckets and they can get on a run," Davie said. "We tried to limit their runs." Perkins' lead swelled to as many as 22 points when Glass scored to make it 63-41 with 6:50 to play. The Pirates started fast. A 12-0 run — started by two Groot 3-pointers and finished by another Groot hoop — gave Perkins a 14-4 lead midway through the first quarter. "First quarter was huge," Davie said. "We took the momentum right off the bat." The Pirates opened up a 39-22 lead late in the second quarter on a Legando drive and Sandusky could only get as close as 12 points the rest of the way. "They wanted it more; they out-toughed us from the tip to the buzzer," Sandusky coach DeMar Moore said. "If you don't play physical, tough basketball, that's what happens. "Our defense wasn't very good tonight. I don't know how many layups we gave up, but it was a lot of them. We just couldn't keep them out of the paint and once you get in the paint, it breaks down the defense and they've got some shooters who can knock stuff down." Dale Johnson finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds for the Streaks. The 6-foot-6 senior had 19 points and seven boards in a stellar first half. "He was a presence for us down low to start the game," Moore said. "Without him, we probably would've been down 20 in the first half." Anthony Redding added 10 points — including two monster dunks — and nine rebounds for the Blue Streaks, who dropped to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the Lake. The gym was packed for the junior varsity game and was loud throughout. "It was awesome. I wish every game was like this," Houying said. "Hopefully the fans keep coming and we keep performing." Coming up Sandusky hits the road for three games to close out 2025. The Blue Streaks travel to Lakewood St. Edward on Saturday for a 4 p.m. matchup against the Eagles, who are 4-0 with three wins by 22 or more points. The Streaks will play Indian Hill from Cincinnati at 2 p.m. next Tuesday at Rocket Arena in downtown Cleveland before a trip to Lyndhurst Brush next Saturday. Perkins also has three games remaining in the calendar year. The Pirates visit Fostoria on Saturday before hosting a strong Elyria Catholic team next Tuesday. EC was 6-1 heading into Friday's game against Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin. Among the Panthers' wins this season was a 58-39 decision against Bellevue on Dec. 6. Perkins rounds out the year with a game at Fremont Ross on Dec. 30. SANDUSKY (2-3, 1-1) Anthony Redding 5 0-0 10, Dale Johnson 10 6-10 27, Ahmaj Woolfork 3 0-0 6, Camrion Jones 0 0-0 0, Kymirr Hunter 4 0-5 8, Ta'Verieon Myers 1 0-0 2, Daishun Brown 1 0-2 , Camren Daniels 2 0-0 4. TOTALS 26 6-17 59 PERKINS (5-0, 2-0) Kellen Glass 4 2-3 10, Sam Schweinfurth 4 3-3 12, Kash Koch 2 0-1 4, Bryce Davie 2 2-2 6, Levi Groot 7 2-4 18, Kaden Legando 6 1-2 13, Grant Kuhnle 3 0-0 8, Ty Obergefell 0 4-4 4, Carter Koch 0 0-2 0. TOTALS 28 14-21 75 Sandusky 8 21 10 20 — 59 Perkins 21 22 15 17 — 75 Three-point goals: Sandusky 1 (Johnson); Perkins 5 (Groot 2, Kuhnle 2, Schweinfurth)