Kirtland vs. Perry boys basketball: Versatile Hornets blow open 79-53 win

KIRTLAND, Ohio—Size, speed, shooting and a defense that refused to yield—Kirtland unleashed every weapon in its arsenal on Feb. 10 and never let rival Perry catch its breath, rolling to a 79-53 victory that improved the Hornets to 16-2 and snapped the Pirates’ seven-game winning streak.

Senior guard Lucas Renfro, one of eight Kirtland players listed at 6-foot-3 or taller, torched the nets for a game-high 30 points, mixing transition finishes with mid-range pull-ups and timely triples. Classmate Ben DiFranco, a 6-4 wing, added 13 points as the Hornets built a 15-5 first-quarter cushion and never trailed.

“We came out and played our game—fast break, moving the ball, team defense,” Renfro said. “Our coaches really hyped us up. This was a big RPI game.”

Perry, now 10-9, briefly clawed within 19-14 on a personal 5-0 burst from 6-4 junior Andrew Morris, but Kirtland answered with an 8-2 spurt to close the half and carried a 42-29 lead into the locker room. The Hornets’ length—four starters stand 6-3 or taller—translated into 38 rebounds, 15 on the offensive glass, and 13 first-half Pirate turnovers.

“We played really, really good defense,” 6-5 senior center Mike Dumstorff said. “Our size helps with deflections, steals, not letting people in the paint.”

Kirtland stretched the margin to 60-40 on a Dumstorff free throw late in the third and cruised into the fourth up 62-42. Thirteen Hornets saw action as coach Shawn McGregor emptied the bench once the lead ballooned to 77-47.

Jake LaVerde, a 6-3 senior, paced the Hornets with nine rebounds. Perry got 12 points from junior Chase Sivon and 11 from Morris off the bench.

“They beat us in every facet—height, physicality, energy, coaching,” Pirates coach Al Iacofano said. “We couldn’t simulate that length or execution in practice.”

The Hornets, state-semifinalists a year ago, are tied with Chagrin Falls atop the CVC Valley at 9-1 and expect to be the top seed in the upcoming Northeast Ohio Division VI bracket. They visit Fairview on Feb. 12 and host Cuyahoga Heights on Feb. 14, while Perry looks to rebound Feb. 13 at Madison.