Perryville falls to Greenville, 88-78, at Woodland Tourney

A nine-point halftime lead didn’t hold up as Perryville High School’s boys varsity basketball squad fell 88-78 to Greenville in opening round action of the Woodland Invitational Tournament.

The Pirates led 18-17 after the opening quarter and 41-32 at the break, but an 11-3 run by the Bears midway through the third quarter gave Greenville an insurmountable edge.

That run began shortly after a technical foul on the PHS head coach, showing frustration after another Pirates’ turnover.

“We definitely got outplayed today on effort,” said PHS coach Chris Hahn. “They outrebounded us, they out physicaled us. The turning point was definitely when I picked up the technical (foul). They got two free throws and converted on those. Our energy was just super low today.”

Senior Jake Cissell scored 22 to pace the Pirates. Junior Karston Schilli contributed 16 points while Waylon Huber added 11 points, including all three of his team’s 3-pointers. Senior Carter Blechle added 10 points.

Cooper Sturgeon led all scorers with 37 points (15 field goals and a 7-for-12 effort from the foul line). Senior Jimmy Marler added 15 points while Ian Meyer, a sophomore, contributed 11 points. The Bears were 25-for-38 from the free throw line.

“Cooper Sturgeon really took over for them, I know he scored a ton of points,” Hahn said. “Their guards did a good job of not panicking against our pressure. A lot of that comes down to our effort.”

The Bears outscored PHS 34-17 in the third quarter, taking a 66-58 lead into the final eight minutes.

Perryville (1-1) returns to action Friday, Dec. 6, when it takes on Oak Ridge in the consolation final of the Woodland Tournament. That contest tips at 5 p.m.