PERKINS, Okla. — The third time proved to be the charm for the Perkins-Tryon Lady Demons in a 71-41 victory over Class 3A No. 7 Chandler on Friday.

“They beat us twice before, so it was good to get a win,” Perkins-Tryon coach Jerry Burnett said. “Anytime you can beat a top 10 program in any class it’s a big win. Our goal is to get to state, and a win like this should give us confidence as we head into the final two weeks.”

Senior Shelby Stansberry led the way for Perkins-Tryon (16-3), tallying 19 points — 14 in the second half — as the Lady Demons scored 42 points in the second half.

“We came out shooting really well in the second half,” Burnett said. “We couldn’t hit a thing in that first quarter, but we were able to build a lead by halftime.”

With the scored tied at 11 after the first quarter, Perkins-Tryon went on a 15-3 run over the final five minutes of the second to take a 29-18 lead. Included in that run was a 3-pointer by freshman Bailey Wensler with a minute left that gave the Lady Demons the momentum they needed as they headed into the locker room.

“She’s a good one,” Burnett said. “By the time she’s a junior or senior, we expect her to be pretty good.”

From there, the Lady Demons rolled in the second half missing only a handful of shots while outscoring Chandler 42-23.

“A win like this can really give you a jolt and make you work harder in practice,” Burnett said. “We have a lot of confidence, and our kids are starting to believe in themselves.”



Chandler boys, 49,

Perkins-Tryon 34

While the Lady Demons burned up the net in the second half of their game, the Demons struggled from the field in the second half in a 49-34 loss to Chandler.

“I’m searching for answers myself,” Perkins-Tryon coach Norman Tippeconnie said. “It isn’t like we don’t work on shooting in practice. Our confidence is not good, and that’s got to change.”

After going into halftime tied at 17, the Demons went six minutes before their first field goal. Perkins-Tryon also struggled from the free-throw line, going 2-of-11.

“It was a struggle tonight,” Tippeconnie said. “You have to give Chandler credit, they played well. They have two good players that we typically try to stop. It didn’t work tonight. No matter what we did, they found a way to counter it.”

Only Caleb White reached double figures, scoring 12 points for Perkins-Tryon. Cody Waitt also chipped in 9 points and four rebounds, while Sam Kinzie was held to 6 points.

“We have got to stay aggressive on defense,” Tippeconnie said. “Sometimes we get a little passive. We need to play with more energy. Caleb (White) had a pretty good night, but we need others to step up, too. “

Cody Campbell led all scorers with 16 points for Chandler.

Next, both Perkins-Tryon teams will host Stroud on Tuesday. Tippeconnie hopes a win over Stroud will get his team back on track.

“It’s going to be tough, but we can’t worry about this loss,” he said. “Stroud is a good team, and they’re going to give us their best game. We just have to get better each day.”