Trio of juniors lead Perry to big win at Hoop Hall Classic
The Perry Pumas opened the 2019-2020 season up with a statement 63-38 win over the Chaparral Firebirds at the Hoop Hall Classic. It was an all around team effort, but three players specifically looked outstanding offensively for the Pumas. At…
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Continue ReadingThe Perry Pumas opened the 2019-2020 season up with a statement 63-38 win over the Chaparral Firebirds at the Hoop Hall Classic. It was an all around team effort, but three players specifically looked outstanding offensively for the Pumas. At the start of the fourth quarter, Tatyanna Clayburne, Madison Conner and Nicole Smith all had racked up double digits for the Pumas. Overall, the Pumas saw a ton of success with their three-point shooting, hitting ten on the night.
Clayburne finished the night with 15 points on the night. Offensively she was able to shoot the ball from all over the court, hitting a three-pointer to open up the game. She followed that up with solid field goals and layups and was four-for-five from the free throw line.
“It was more of a team effort. We all took our time almost every day before talking about how we were going to defend. We were mainly prepped for defense, and offense handled itself afterwards,” Clayburne said.
Conner was the Pumas’ leading scorer on the night, finishing with 22 points. Conner was not only hitting shots from all over the court tonight as well, but she also played a great game defensively, which is something that Coach Andrew Curtis said can absolutely not be overlooked.
“She can score. Everyone knows that, but what I think everyone should have seen tonight is the way she defended. She held one of the best players in the state to, I don’t know, five points? She scores, yes, we all know that but her defense, her rebounding, I think that’s what’s going to set our team apart,” Coach Curtis said.
For Conner, her outstanding performance earned her the game’s MVP award, but she refused to take any solo credit for her performance.
“I definitely think it was a whole team effort. We really prepared for this game and it showed, just by making everybody a part of the game, not just taking one dribble and then a shot,” Conner said.
Smith was an integral part to Perry’s outstanding shooting from behind the arc. She hit five of Perry’s ten three-pointers tonight, four of them coming in the second quarter of the game. Smith finished the night with 17 total points, but also had a handful of steals and assists on the night to help elevate the Pumas’ play.
“Coach prepared us really well for this game. We were out shooting every day before this,” Smith said. “It just worked out. My shot was falling and we just kept going with it. It kept coming back to me.”
Overall, the entire trio all gave it up to the team effort on the court tonight for setting them up for success. The team’s ability to pass the ball with precision and set each other up for shots was what created the opportunity for them to score.