Massillon had a bit of a slow start to Monday night’s game at Perry, but a huge 3rd quarter led to a big win. The Tigers were only up by 1 at the half, but they poured on 32 points in the 3rd to take a 16-point lead. Massillon finished off the Panthers with a score of 85-67, moving their record to 3-3 on the season. Delaney Pierce, who scored 37 and 32 in the Tigers’ last two games, led the team once again with 28 points. Hannah Nicola added 20 as the second-leading scorer.
1st Half
The Lady Tigers jumped out to a quick lead as Delaney Pierce hit a 3 just a few seconds into the contest. Kynslie Williams added a jumper for 2 and Jaryn Woff hit a 3 to make the score 8-2. Massillon’s lead climbed up to 9, but Perry fought back and cut it to 2. Jaryn Wolff hit a 3 late in the 1st quarter to give the Tigers a 20-15 lead going into the 2nd. Perry temporarily took the lead at 21-20 a few minutes into the 2nd quarter, but Delaney Pierce took the ball all the way for a layup, giving the Tigers the lead for good. She followed this shot with a steal and a score, and made a thunderous block on the other end of the floor to complete an impressive sequence. The Tigers’ lead seemed precarious throughout the rest of the 1st half, but they stayed up by at least 1 point throughout. A late Perry shot cut the Massillon lead to 34-33 at the half.
2nd Half
The first couple of minutes in the 3rd quarter reflected the second half for the Tigers. They burst onto the scene with a flurry of scoring as Kynslie Williams batted away a ball and fired a pass downcourt for Hannah Nicola, who laid it home and was fouled. A shot by Williams, a 3-pointer by Nicola, and a layup from Delaney Pierce gave Massillon their largest lead (11) with a score of 44-33. The Tigers continued to at least match the Panthers as Williams and Jaryn Wolff added 3s. Hannah Nicola made a wild play, throwing up a shot behind her back and nailing it while being shoved into the back baseline. Mia Page capped off the quarter with a 3, and the Tigers led 66-50 going into the 4th. Perry opened up the 4th with a 3, but Delaney Pierce answered right away with an and-1. The Panthers whittled the lead down to 11, but Rylee Adams stretched back to make a great grab for a rebound and laid it in to stop the Panthers’ streak. Hannah Nicola got one more basket as she laid it in with a few seconds remaining, and the Tigers went back down Lincoln Way with an 85-67 victory.
Stats
Box: Delaney Pierce, 28 points; Hannah Nicola, 20 points; Jaryn Wolff, 12 points; Kynslie Williams, 11 points; Mia Page, 6 points; Rylee Adams, 6 points; Lucy Herrera, 2 points
