By Don Ketchum

Don’t get Mark Nold wrong. The boys’ basketball coach at Gilbert Perry would have loved for his team to have played in the new Division I, Section II tournament last week.

But the Pumas didn’t, and that wasn’t all bad, believe it or not.

They still managed to qualify for the big dance in power points, No. 23 out of 24 teams, and opened the state tournament on Thursday night (Feb. 16) at No. 10 Phoenix North, the Division I, Section I tourney winner.

“We figured we still might get into the state tournament, and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It allowed us to work on some things,’’ Nold said.

The Pumas came out flat against North, which scored the game’s first 10 points, but managed to keep their composure.  They took a brief lead just before halftime, kept pushing in the second half and went on to post a 63-53 victory.

Perry (20-8) advances to Saturday night’s (Feb. 18) second round, a road game against neighborhood and sectional rival Chandler Basha, the No. 7 seed. Basha won both meetings with Perry during the regular season.

“Unfortunately, we’ve been notorious for slow starts this season,’’ Nold said. “I’m proud of the kids, the way they battled back. They did not panic.’’

North (21-10) got hot shooting early from guards Elijah Williams and Felipe Corral, who combined for three 3-pointers. Williams hit two more from long range in the second half and finished with 22 points.

Oddly, the referees did not call a foul in the first quarter. The game’s first foul was whistled 18 seconds into the second quarter.

It was North’s poor passing choices that were a major factor in its demise. Perry would intercept and start the break back down the floor.

Perry still trailed 39-36 with about 2 ½ minutes left in the third quarter when Jordan Howard, a smooth-looking sophomore, went to work.

He hit a 3-pointer to tie it, then had a steal and 3-point play at the 2-minute mark to put the Pumas up for good.

North continued to remain close and was within 56-51 with 1:55 left in the game. But Perry converted seven of eight free-throws over the final 1:25 to clinch the win.

“We’ve had a great season,’’ Nold said. “We’re young, and this is only our fourth varsity season. We got our 20^th win tonight, and that’s a real accomplishment. A lot of people were counting us out.’’

Perry had four players score in double figures – Jordan Howard (14), Ryan Richardson (12) and Matt Bracamonte and Lucas O’Brien (11 each).