JACKSON TWP — With just one starter back, the pre-season opened up four weeks ago with a lot of uncertainty for the Seneca Valley boys basketball team.

But after three games, coach Victor Giannotta seems to have found some things to build on.

For the third consecutive game, guards Patrick Uher, Jack Cook and Chris Hart and forwards Nate Trzeciak and Andrew Smathers comprised the Raiders’ starting lineup and it led to a third straight win.

Hart scored 15 points and Cook added 11 as the Raiders pulled away from Perry for a 64-45 victory at William Paul Gymnasium Wednesday night.

SV began the season with wins over Central Valley (45-42) and West Allegheny (70-42) at the Moon Tournament last weekend.

Wednesday’s win featured 16 bench points.

“The starters have played well, but there is definitely room for improvement,” said Giannotta. “This is an interesting group to coach because there are so many interchangeable parts.”

Perry’s Shyaire Howard completed a conventional 3-point play 22 seconds into the fourth quarter, cutting SV’s lead to 43-40. But the Raiders closed the game with a 21-5 run, led by Hart’s eight points in the period.

SV shot 73 percent (8-of-11) from the field in the final eight minutes.

“It seemed like they couldn’t miss at the end,” said Perry coach Chuck Linhart. “Plus, we just didn’t have any legs left late in the game. We played at Riverside last night (a 67-66 win) and didn’t get home until late. Then we play tonight, it felt like an NBA schedule.”

The biggest reason the Raiders were able to pull away was the defense it played against Perry’s Markel Sayles. The senior guard had led a comeback following a 12-point deficit in the first quarter and entered the final period with 25 of his team’s 37 points.

Giannotta called for a box-and-one, with Uher and Payton Skalos taking turns guarding Sayles, who scored just one point in the fourth quarter.

“They did really well against him,” said Giannotta. “That changed the tempo of the game.”

Perry (2-2) didn’t have enough in support of Sayles. Tal’al Rodgers was the Commodores’ second-leading scorer with five points.

“Our usual second-leading scorer and top assist guy, Cordell Jackson, is out with an injury,” said Linhart. “Markel knew he was going to have to step up tonight.”

The Raiders drained seven 3-pointers, but shot just 24 percent from beyond the arc on 29 attempts.

“We still have to find a way to play from the inside out, get some touches in the paint and points close to the rim,” Giannotta said.

PERRY 45

Shyaire Howard 1 2-3 4, Dom McClung 1 1-3 3, D’Jon Williams 1 0-0 3, Tal’al Rodgers 2 0-0 5, Markel Sayles 9 8-13 26, Doug Johnson 2 0-0 4, Nay’kwell Barrow 0 0-0 0, Terren Holiday 0 0-0 0, Ethan Shomo 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 11-19 45.

SENECA VALLEY 64

Jamir Carter 1 2-2 4, Nate Trzeciak 4 0-0 9, Payton Skalos 3 0-0 7, Patrick Uher 3 0-0 8, Jack Cook 4 2-4 11, Andrew Smathers 1 3-4 5, Chris Hart 6 1-2 15, Marcus Might 2 1-1 5, Mark Smathers 0 0-0 0, Justin Koken 0 0-0 0, Josh Balog 0 0-0 0, Jake Holl 0 0-0 0. Totals: 24 9-13 64.

Perry 6 20 11 8 — 45

Seneca Valley17 13 13 21 — 64

3-point goals: Perry 2 (Rodgers, Williams); Seneca Valley 7 (Hart 2, Uher 2, Cook, Skalos, Trzeciak).

Friday: Seneca Valley vs. Central Catholic at Fox Chapel