Taking on one of the top basketball programs in the country is not an easy task for any team. That was the case for Perry as they took on  number 14 ranked Mater Dei on Saturday, Dec. 7, losing 77-42. The game was part of Hoophall West: a tournament that included some of the best teams in the country. Mater Dei was able to use there size effectively by getting lots of boards. Mater Dei had 5 players with double digit points, and 2020 Kentucky commit Devin Askew led the team with 14 points and 7 assists. Before the game, Coach Duane credited Askew for having good size a depth. Duke Brennan led Perry in scoring with 12 points, followed by Demarco Wiley with 8 points, and Dylan Anderson with 7.

Mater Dei has been coached by the legendary Gary McKnight since 1982. Coach McKnight has more than 1100 wins in his 38 year career, and has led Mater Dei to 11 state championships and one national championship in 2014. McKnight has also coached multiple players at Mater Dei that have reached the NBA, including current NBA small forward, Stanley Johnson. McKnight is continuing to use his coaching experience to teach a new generation of basketball players.

After the loss to Mater Dei, Perry’s record falls to 4-2. The season is still early and the team still has a lot of time to improve. Coach Duane mentioned, “We are still trying to find our team identity as its early in the year- we really need to establish our inside game which is our strength-”. Perry has a ton of great players on their roster that are giving the team hope for the future. When asked about who the team leaders are, Coach Duane responded by saying “I think we are evolving with our leadership and looking for Dylan, Christian, and Duke to lead as they are lead guys on the floor for us offensively and defensively.”

On Tuesday, Dec. 10, Coach Duane will return to his former school to take on Corona Del Sol. Duane coached at Corona Del Sol for 11 year before resigning in 2015. He lead Corona Del Sol to 4 straight state championships and coached future NBA star, Marvin Bagley III. After the game on Tuesday, the team will have 3 upcoming home games, starting with Mesa on Dec. 12, Desert Ridge on Dec. 13, and Chaparral on Dec. 17. The season has just started, and there are a ton of games left in the season, so come out and support boys basketball.