The Perry Pirates girls’ basketball team enters the 2025-26 season looking to build on a strong tradition of success under head coach Roy Infalvi, who enters his eighth year at the helm with a record of 136-42.
The Pirates are coming off an 18-8 overall record and a 9-1 mark in the Chagrin Valley Conference, and while they’ll be relying on a young and relatively inexperienced group this winter, Infalvi is confident in his team’s potential.
“We have a great group of young players who work hard and are very coachable,” Infalvi said. “We are very young and inexperienced, but I see us making great strides as the season progresses.”
Perry returns two starters and two other varsity contributors from last season’s district run. The Pirates’ strength lies in their blend of size, physicality, and guard talent, something Infalvi plans to leverage.
“We have some good size and physicality along with some talented guards,” he said. “We will need to take advantage of our strengths to be successful.”
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Still, with youth comes a learning curve.
“We are young and relatively inexperienced,” Infalvi added. “We will need to continue to get better each day and learn from every new situation we encounter.”
Leading the way for Perry is junior forward Mia Lynch (5’9), an honorable mention All-CVC selection last season who averaged five points and six rebounds per game.
“Mia will be entering her third season as a varsity player,” Infalvi said. “She has been taking a huge leadership role on our team. She’s an extremely hard worker and demonstrates that day in and day out. Mia has become more of a complete player with the ability to play some on the perimeter and outside. We are very excited to see her perform this year.”
Joining her in the frontcourt is sophomore forward Emily Mechenbier (6’2), a second-team All-CVC honoree after posting eight points and seven rebounds per game as a freshman.
“As the year progressed last season, Emily developed into a dominating player inside,” Infalvi said. “She is extremely athletic and very versatile. Emily is very coachable and still has a lot of room to grow as a basketball player. We look forward to her taking the next step this season and building on her performance from last year.”
Sophomore Sophie Sivon (5’5) will take over the point guard role after moving up from JV during her freshman season.
“Sophie started last season playing JV as a freshman but quickly moved up the ranks and became a full-time varsity player,” Infalvi said. “She will take over the point guard position for us, and we couldn’t be more excited. She is a great passer and sees the flow really well. We look forward to her making big strides this season, both offensively and defensively.”
Junior guard Payton Winters (5’7) also steps into a larger role after averaging 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game last year.
“Payton is one of our hardest workers both in season and out of season,” Infalvi said. “She is always on the court and working to get better. Last season, she made some big shots in big moments for us. This season, she will need to take a more active and consistent role. We feel she is ready for this and will perform. Her leadership skills early this season have been impressive, and we look for that to continue.”
Rounding out the projected starting five is freshman guard Aubrey Hopkins (5’7).
“She is ultra talented and skilled,” Infalvi said. “We look forward to her continuing to grow and learn within our program. She has the skill set to be very good and we are excited to see what this year will bring.”
Among the key contributors off the bench will be senior guard/forward Audrianna Polzer (5’7), who brings experience and intelligence to the floor.
“Audrianna has developed so much over the past four years,” Infalvi said. “We constantly saw growth from her each season due to her hard work. She is a very smart player and uses that to her advantage. We look forward to her producing for us this season and getting a lot of minutes.”
Sophomore guard/forward Addie Flenner (5’7) will also play a role this season.
“Addie is one of the most fundamental players in our program,” Infalvi said. “She is very coachable and has worked very hard to keep improving. She has really developed since last season and continues to get better day in and day out. She is a smart player and can play multiple positions for us.”
Another promising young talent is freshman guard Brynn Trefzger (5’7).
“Brynn is a very talented young player for us,” Infalvi said. “She works hard and already has shown great improvement early this preseason. She works hard on defense and is very coachable. She has great potential, and we are excited to see her growth throughout the season and her career.”
As always, Perry’s goals remain ambitious.
“Our goal is to win our conference and compete for a district title,” Infalvi said. To get there, the Pirates will rely on their defensive discipline and rebounding effort. “We must win on the defensive end,” he said. “If we play great defense and rebound, it will help propel our offense.”
With a promising mix of emerging talent and committed leadership, the young Perry squad looks poised to continue its winning tradition and grow stronger as the season unfolds.
