Perry upsets Hamilton in huge 6A showdown
The Perry Pumas pulled off a huge 56-48 upset win over the Hamilton Huskies on Tuesday night. It was a battle between two of the top teams in the 6A division showcasing some of the top talent in Arizona, as Hamilton went into the game ranked second in the AIA, while Perry went in ranked fourth.
It was all Hamilton in the beginning of the first quarter, as they quickly were able to jump out to a 7-0 lead. But Perry was able to battle back, and thanks to a buzzer-beating half court shot by junior Shayla O’Neil, the score at the end of one was 13-10. Both teams kept up the same pace in the second quarter, with each scoring 11.
CHECK OUT THIS HALF COURT SHOT BY PERRY HIGH SCHOOL’s SHAYLA O’NEIL! pic.twitter.com/gPKV5JABh9
— Brittany Bowyer (@LittWithBritt) February 5, 2020
At the half, Perry made some adjustments and came out ready to play. The Pumas started playing more aggressively and were able to take the lead just before the start of the fourth quarter. Hamilton junior Graciela Roybal hit three shots from behind the arc in the final eight minutes of the game in an effort to help get the Huskies back on top, but it just was not enough, as Perry was ultimately able to pull away.
One thing that both teams did very well tonight was move the ball. Hamilton seemed to have fewer issues with communicating which resulted in fewer turnovers, but Perry was strong in the paint when it came to rebounding.
Junior Jayden James had a phenomenal performance tonight for the Pumas in addition to O’Neil. James had more than double the number of rebounds of every other player on the court with nine in addition to an assist, two steals and eight points. Meanwhile O’Neil was the leading scorer for Perry with 15 points.
It was a tough loss for Hamilton, but they’ll look to bounce back at Highland on Thursday. Meanwhile for Perry, they’ll look to continue what is currently a four game win streak when they play at Red Mountain on Friday.