PERRYVILLE SLIPS PAST NOTRE DAME

PERRYVILLE -- When putting together a basketball team, most coaches look for a solid inside-outside scoring combination to put on the court so opposing teams can't concentrate their efforts to stopping just one offensive threat.

Tuesday night on Senior Night at the Perryville gym against the Notre Dame Bulldogs, Pirates' coach Rick Francis got balanced scoring on the inside from 6-foot-11 senior Bruce Weinkein and outside points from his younger brother, Paul, to help the Pirates come away with a 50-46 win.

Bruce took control on the inside with a game-high 17 points. Paul, a 6-6 junior, knocked down four 3-pointers in totalling 14 points.

"I think Bruce played one of his better games of the season," Francis said, speaking of his brother combination. "They're both very good athletes and they mean an awful lot to our team."

The win pushed the No. 8 ranked Class 3A Pirates to 23-2 on the year, tying the school record for wins at Perryville. The Pirates travel to Desoto on Friday to face the Jefferson County Conference-leading Dragons. With a win, the Pirates would share the JeffCo title with the Dragons.

The 2A Bulldogs fell to 6-14 with the tough loss but had several opportunities to come away with victory.

"I think our team grew up a lot tonight," Notre Dame coach Chris Janet said. "I was extremely proud of our effort. The only thing we didn't do was win the game."

But the Bulldogs had their chances.

Perryville led nearly the entire game but was never able to extend its lead past six points. The Pirates led 15-12 after the first quarter and at halftime held a 26-22 advantage.

In third quarter, the Pirates opened up a 38-32 lead when senior Scott Kassel dropped in a buzzer-beating jumper to end the quarter. Kassel scored the basket on an inbound play underneath the Pirates basket with one second remaining in the quarter after Notre Dames' Dirk Dirnberger blocked a Pirate shot out of bounds.

Paul Weinkein lofted a pass to Kassel on the right wing and in one motion, the 6-8 Kassel took the pass and lofted a 15-foot jumper through the hoop to give the Pirates momentum heading into the final quarter.

But the Bulldogs battled back on the strength of their 3-point shooting to tie the score in the final quarter. Chris Canfield drilled a trey for the Bulldogs that was answered the next time down the court by the Pirates' Paul Weinkein to keep Perryville on top 43-37.

With the score 45-40, Notre Dame strung together a mini-run to knot the score. Bulldog Nathan McGuire sank a 3-pointer to make the score 45-43 and a Bulldog free throw made the score 45-44 with 3:05 left.

Dirnberger returned from a sprained ankle to knot the score at 46-46 with a putback of his own miss with 1:57 left.

But Dirnberger's basket marked the last points Notre Dame would score. The Bulldogs had a couple chances in the final minute to win or tie the game, but with a boisterous Pirates' crowd on its feet the Bulldog shots missed their marks. The Pirates got four free throws from three different players down the stretch to pull away for the win.

Dirnberger and McGuire both played well in the second half, leading Notre Dame with 16 points each. McGuire threw home four 3-pointers.

In the JV contest, Perryville came away with a 49-38 win. Ryan Verseman led the Pirates' JV with 16 points. Michael Gosche scored 15 points for Notre Dame.

Notre Dame will visit Fredericktown Friday.