Late Unatego Run Does Cooperstown In

January 28, 2019

Unatego 42, Cooperstown 28

The schools are separated by just over 30 miles, but very rarely do they cross paths due to being on opposite sides of the Section 3/4 line. On Monday, that wasn't the case. Cooperstown, a team that seems to have found itself over the last few weeks after going through the transition period from losing three current collegiate players to graduation in 2018, made the trip to play an upstart Unatego group that figures to be a major player in the upcoming Section 4 Class C playoffs. In a game that featured three long, established runs, Unatego was on the winning side of two of them - including the final one - and they pulled away in the 4th quarter to pick up a win.

Morgan Perry was part of a balanced effort that helped Unatego pull away to a win over visiting Cooperstown Monday.

Defense won out in the first 8 minutes, as both teams had trouble scoring while feeling out their opponent. Unatego, whose height & length were far superior to Cooperstown's, extended into a 3/4 court zone press and dropped back into a 2-3. Cooperstown dropped back and played solid half-court man-to-man, containing Unatego and making their start a stagnant one on offense.

The floodgates would open right out of the huddle to start the 2nd quarter, as Unatego's press started to take effect. Meghan Perry (Unatego 2021) knocked down midrange jumpers in the half-court and, along with twin sister Morgan Perry (Unatego 2021), helped spearhead the defensive effort that started to turn Cooperstown over. Meghan Perry scored 6 straight to start the 2nd, and after Hali Lucia (Unatego 2021) added a bucket & free throw, Morgan Perry added 4 quick points of her own to give Unatego the first 13 points of the quarter and a 19-4 lead. However, Cooperstown would answer Unatego's run - 15-0 by the end of it - with an extended run of their own. With both Perry sisters and Lucia on the bench for the last 3 minutes of the half with 2 fouls each, Cooperstown made its push. It started with a pair of Kate Trosset (Cooperstown 2019) free throws - due to a technical foul on the back end of a scrum for a loose ball - and the Hawkeyes received scoring from 4 different players in what was a 9-0 run over the last 2:46 of the half. After being in danger of getting blown out early, an Emilie Perez free throw to end the half cut Cooperstown's deficit to 19-13.

Cooperstown continued to hang in the game throughout the 3rd quarter. They received an early scoring flurry from Trosset, who had 7 points in the middle of the quarter, including a three to cut their deficit to 24-22 with 3:20 left in the stanza. That is as close as they'd get though, as Unatego always had the answer - Meghan Perry. She had 8 points in the 3rd quarter, mainly coming off midrange jumpers as she made a living in the 15'-18' area. A pair of Perry buckets to end the quarter gave Unatego a 30-24 lead. After Dana Stepp (Unatego 2021) and Piper Seamon (Cooperstown 2020) traded points to start the 4th, Unatego went on its game-clinching run. Stepp started it off with a free throw, and the run eventually extended to 10-0 as they held Cooperstown scoreless for a 4+ minute stretch in the quarter. A Morgan Newman three-point play gave Unatego their largest lead at 42-26 with 1:26 remaining, and the hosts were able to coast to the finish line.

Kate Trosset paced Cooperstown with 9 points, including a 7 point spurt in the 3rd quarter to help them cut their deficit to 2.

Meghan Perry had a strong game for Unatego, putting her prints on the game at both ends while finishing with a game high 18 points. They received scoring contributions between 5-8 points from each of their other starters Monday, as all 42 points came from their starting 5. Kate Trosset paced Cooperstown with 9 points, and Piper Seamon chipped in with 8.


#JeffsNotes

- Meghan Perry was taking a bunch of catch & shoot wing/corner midrange jumpers in warmups... and she was making almost all of them. Considering she's more of a natural wing, I couldn't help but wonder why so many of them - the catch & shoot 15-17 footer isn't a shot that guards usually get too often within the flow of any offense. I quickly realized why that was the case as the game started and Unatego started running their sets. They actively looked for her on the baseline in their flex set, and that turned into jumper... after jumper... after jumper. Out of her 18 points, I'd guess that 12 of them came from the catch & shoot midrange J. Consider that my Unatego learning experience. But it was certainly more than that with Meghan on Monday. She showed the ability to put it on the floor and get to the rim, and she made an impact with her length & activity on the defensive end. I've been watching the Perrys for the last couple years - the first time I saw them was almost two years ago to the day - and it looks like they (along with twin sister Morgan) have really started to turn the corner on the court.

Big game for Meghan Perry, who - along with twin sis Morgan - has established herself as someone to watch going forward.

- I've watched Unatego twice now. Against Walton earlier in the month, they made it look easy with how they were able to turn them over. Cooperstown, except for the first part of the 2nd quarter where Unatego went on their 13-0 run, did a much better job with ball security against the zone press. So what Unatego did in response was control pace. In the half-court, they're essentially willing to 'flex you to death', working deep into the shot clock with their sets to get a good look in the final few seconds. The 4th quarter was a Unatego clinic as far as controlling pace. Work the shot clock down, get a bucket or get to the line. Get back on defense, use their length to force Cooperstown into difficult jumpers - they had success when getting the ball into the typical zone buzz areas, the high post & short corner, but Unatego made it difficult for them to get it there - grab the rebound, go back down the court & repeat. It was an interesting game, considering the hosts looked like they might run their visitors out of the gym before the margin was cut to 2 in the 2nd half, but a quality win for Unatego over a Cooperstown squad that's hit its stride lately nonetheless.