Decatur Central Dismantles Perry Meridian 73-46, Earns Semifinal Date With Franklin Central

Decatur Central used a balanced offensive effort and crisp ball movement to down Perry Meridian 73-46 in a Class 4A sectional opener, handing the Falcons their third straight loss and propelling the Hawks into a Friday semifinal date with Franklin Central.

Melakih Cunningham led the Hawks with a double-double, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Kc Berry paced Decatur Central with 23 points. MaxPreps’ game material describes multiple contributors in the Hawks’ attack and credits ball movement for opening scoring chances that produced the 73-point output.

The victory bumped Decatur Central’s record up to 10-7. The loss dropped Perry Meridian to 4-17 and marked what the MaxPreps files identify as the Falcons’ 19th straight road loss dating back to last season; the Original Report explicitly called it Perry Meridian’s third straight loss.

Perry Meridian’s recent stretch has been rough: MaxPreps notes a 67-24 loss at Franklin Community in the team’s prior outing and characterizes the program as having struggled against Franklin Community recently, with the Friday result labeled a third consecutive lost matchup in that file. On the Decatur side, MaxPreps also lists a 78-72 victory over Whiteland described in that entry as the most points Decatur had scored all season. Those two MaxPreps entries — the 78-72 win over Whiteland and the 73-46 sectional win over Perry Meridian — both appear in the supplied records.

Historically, Decatur Central has dominated recent meetings between the programs: in February 2023 Decatur beat Perry Meridian 69-35, a game that was largely decided by halftime when Perry Meridian trailed 30-7. The 2026 sectional result continues that edge for the Hawks and sets up a rematch-style challenge against Franklin Central in the sectional semifinal on Friday.

Decatur Central advances with Cunningham’s inside presence and Berry’s scoring carrying the offensive load, while Perry Meridian will head into offseason adjustments after the 4-17 finish in the supplied standings. The Recap and MaxPreps files used for this report include automated elements and game notes that supply the above statistics and streaks; box score verification of additional individual stats and exact semifinal timing is suggested for final official records.