The Peru Nighthawks punched their ticket to the next round with a hard-fought 73-66 victory over Akey Acres in a physical and highly competitive contest.

Peru controlled the opening tip and established momentum early behind strong offensive execution. Kaden Jarvis provided an early spark, knocking down a key field goal as the Nighthawks built a 25-15 advantage midway through the first half. Jarvis later connected on an open three-pointer with just over four minutes remaining to extend Peru’s lead.

Akey Acres answered with timely baskets of its own, including a strong driving layup by Brady Yando with 3:28 remaining in the half. The late push helped trim the deficit before halftime, but Peru carried a 31-25 lead into the break.

At halftime, Peru was led by Hunter Eagle with nine points, while Ethan King and Cogan St. Denis each added six. For Akey Acres, Caleb Akey paced the offense with nine points, Brady Yando contributed eight, and Markus Navarra added six points while making his presence felt defensively with six blocks.

The second half belonged to Akey Acres early as Peru struggled with turnovers. Capitalizing on those mistakes, Akey Acres mounted an impressive comeback, tying the game with 8:16 remaining after an explosive scoring run.

The teams traded baskets throughout the closing stretch, and with under five minutes to play, Peru held a slim 50-49 advantage. Kaden Jarvis responded in a crucial moment, drilling a three-pointer with 5:34 remaining to extend the Nighthawks’ lead. Moments later, Cogan St. Denis finished a strong drive to the basket before knocking down another clutch three-pointer that pushed Peru ahead 63-57.

Despite a determined effort from Akey Acres, led by Caleb Akey, who finished with more than 15 points, and Brady Yando, who added more than 12 points, Peru maintained its composure down the stretch. Yando converted a late basket with 54 seconds remaining, but the Nighthawks continued to answer from the free-throw line and on key possessions to secure the victory. 

With the win, Peru advances to Monday’s next-round matchup after closing out an exciting contest with a 73-66 final score.

Final Score: Peru 73, Akey Acres 66