Lions’ Furious Second-Half Rally Falls Just Short Against Perry

PEPPER PIKE, OH- The Orange Lions showed plenty of fight on Friday night, but a slow start proved too much to overcome as Orange dropped a 58-52 decision to Perry despite a strong second-half comeback.

Perry came out firing, opening the game on an 11-0 run before Jaylhin Sheppard finally put the Lions on the board with just over a minute remaining in the first quarter. Orange struggled to find its rhythm early and trailed 13-2 after one.

The Lions began to claw their way back in the second quarter, outscoring the Pirates 18-15 to trim the deficit. Sheppard sparked the surge, scoring 6 of his team-high 14 points in the quarter as Orange went into halftime with renewed momentum.

That energy carried into the second half as the Lions continued to chip away at the Perry lead, holding a 17-13 advantage in the third quarter. Jonah Marderstein paced Orange in the frame, scoring 6 of his 9 points. Peter Daberko was a difference-maker away from the stat sheet, battling on the glass for key offensive rebounds and playing tough defense to keep the Lions within striking distance.

Orange’s comeback reached its peak in the fourth quarter when the Lions cut the Perry lead to 50-48 with just over four minutes remaining. Dillon Mathur knocked down two free throws to make it a two-point game and later drained two three-pointers in the quarter as Orange threatened to complete the rally.

But that would be as close as the Lions would get. Perry responded with an 8-4 run down the stretch to seal the win. Chase Sivon led the Pirates with 20 points.

Despite the loss, Orange showed resilience and growth, nearly erasing an early double-digit deficit. The Lions will look to build on that effort when they return home to host John Marshall on Monday.

Chase Sivon 8-4-8-20

Kaden Brewster 3-1-1-9

Nate Trefzger 3-2-2-8

Nick Gustin 2-0-0-5

Michael Nowolsielski 1-0-0-2

Carter Hopkins 1-0-0-2

Traxton Richards 1-1-2-3

Nolan Anderjack 2-0-0-5

Andrew Morris 2-0-0-4

Wyatt Federer 2-0-0-5

Jaylhin Sheppard 6-1-3-14

Dillon Mathur 3-2-2-11

Aaron Lewis 2-2-2-6

Jonah Marderstein 4-1-2-9

Evan Novak 1-0-0-2

Peter Daberko 1-1-2-3

Ryder Osterman 1-0-0-2