Pictured above: Zach Perta
WILKES-BARRE – Holy Redeemer did not take long to find itself in a serious state tournament test.
The Royals and SLA Beeber from Philadelphia matched running games, but not necessarily runs.
Zach Perta scored 29 points, including the game-winning basket Saturday afternoon as Holy Redeemer pulled out a 74-71 victory in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 3A first-round game.
Last year’s state semifinalists, fresh off of rising to No. 1 in the state in Class 3A, according to suburban Pittsburgh media outlet TribHSSN.com, were tested just to get through the first round.
The teams were tied 10 times and the lead changed hands 18 times, including on Perta’s layup off a Darryl Wright steal or a 72-71 lead with 1:05 left.
That basket was part of a game-ending, 7-0 run that matched the longest streak of points that either team put together in the entire game.
“SLA Beeber was awesome – better than what we had ever seen of them on film,” Holy Redeemer coach Paul Guido said. “They played great. … They were tough defensively. They killed us on the glass at different stretches.
“It was a really good game – high-scoring, both teams making shots and we were fortunate to come out with a W in the end.”
Guido said his players were excited about the prospect of playing at full speed after a season of games in which opponents spent most of the time trying to slow them down.
“It’s very rare,” Guido said. “We talked about that. We had this year to grind on our zone offense a lot and really work to free up and unlock some of those zone defenses.”
SLA Beeber coach Maurice Davis said he would have liked to mix in some zone defense, but the effectiveness of Holy Redeemer’s offense made him think otherwise.
“We couldn’t really get into our zones,” he said. “They kept enough shooters on the court at all times.”
Holy Redeemer also knows how to attack defenses in transition and when facing man-to-man.
“Their guards get to the hole when they want to,” Davis said, “not to mention, they set amazing screens.”
The teams attacked each other, up-and-down the floor at a fast pace.
“That’s the way we play,” Davis said.
And, the way, Holy Redeemer does not always get a chance to play.
“We looked at it the same way we looked at the Dallas game,” Guido said of the Wyoming Valley Conference Tournament game his Royals won as the highlight of their current streak of 21 straight wins. “We knew they would get out, get up and down and make some shots with us, but I think they pushed us more than we anticipated today.
“It was great to be in our home gym. I think that really helped us pull through.”
SLA Beeber led 71-67 before Jacob Hunter hit a corner 3-pointer with 1:21 left.
After Wright’s steal and Perta’s layup put Holy Redeemer in front, Mark Atherton made the front end of a one-and-one with 51 seconds left and Perta hit the second of two free throws with 22 remaining.
SLA Beeber had two good looks at the tying 3-pointer in the last 10 seconds, but could not convert.
Hunter had 10 of Holy Redeemer’s 20 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 22.
Wright added nine points.
Sa’d Jamaladdin led SLA Beeber with 27 points, 16 of them coming in the second half when the teams combined for 79.
Maki Pettigrew (16), Amadou Dia (13) and Jahad Marable (10) also scored in double figures.
The first five ties occurred in the first quarter.
Hunter opened the scoring with a 3-pointer and beat the first-quarter buzzer with another off Wright’s dribble penetration and dish for a 17-16 lead.
Jamaladdin’s putback for a 14-10 SLA Beeber lead with 1:50 left in the quarter was the only time either team led by more than three in the entire first half.
There were four more ties and five lead changes in the second quarter to get the teams to halftime with SLA Beeber in front, 34-32.
Holy Redeemer’s only other seven-point streak created the first of two leads of six points in the third quarter. Those were the two biggest leads of the game.
Perta converted a four-point play and Louis Lussi added another 3-pointer 22 seconds later for a 48-42 lead midway through the quarter.
SLA Beeber closed the third quarter on an 9-4 run to get within 54-53
That set up a fourth quarter in which the teams traded the lead five more times in the first 3:30 and eight times total.
Holy Redeemer (26-2) is scheduled to face District 12 champion West Catholic, the state’s fifth-ranked Class 3A team according to TribHSSN.com, is another difficult early-round draw Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Bethlehem Liberty. The Philadelphia school is 16-10.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was created from the reporting of Paul Gerrity.
