Palermo started reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and everyone else in the gymnasium followed suit.

Improvisation has become pretty natural for Palermo and the Cardinals, and it showed in other ways against the Big Red.

Mooney overcame the swarming press defense of Steubenville and pulled away down the stretch for a 69-52 victory Tuesday in Youngstown.

While the Cardinals are 2-0 and just happy to be playing basketball during the pandemic, adjusting hasn’t been easy. Neither of Mooney’s first two games was on the team’s original schedule, and like a lot of teams, the Cardinals haven’t had a chance to practice or play against many different looks.

Staff photo / Joe Simon Cardinal Mooney’s Michael Pelini, left, pulls up for a shot against Steubenville’s Cade Kernahan (3) during their game Tuesday in Youngstown.

“We had one scrimmage, and in that one scrimmage, we didn’t get pressed,” Palermo said. “We’re not really a pressing team, so we can’t really simulate it in practice. We just haven’t seen a lot of it this year. So, that was good. It was almost like you get to practice against it. The kids responded and handled it well.”

It took a few minutes, but the Cardinals did, indeed, improvise.

Led by junior point guard Mick Hergenrother, Mooney slowly but surely figured out ways around Steubenville’s press, which was full of long, lanky and athletic Big Red players. Hergenrother, a captain, was the catalyst, directing players where to go while dribbling and passing through the defense. He scored eight of his game-high 22 points in the first quarter, helping the Cardinals take 19-12 lead they never relinquished.

Hergenrother was quick to point out that the key to Mooney’s victory was that it wasn’t just him who was contributing. He was one of three players to score at least 15 points as the Cardinals showed great passing and unselfish play in overcoming a severe height disadvantage.

“I just tell people where to go, and they’ve got to be there,” he said. “They’re there to help me, mostly. If they’re not there, we don’t get the ball up the floor, so it’s not only me doing the work. They’ve got to be there for me to be able to get up the court and break the press.”

Everyone played their role quite well Tuesday.

Senior Michael Pelini is the Cardinals’ leading returning scorer and a co-captain, and after a slow start, he hit big shots in the second half to help the Cardinals extend their lead. Mooney held a double-digit advantage for much of the third quarter, but Steubenville cut it to nine and was gaining momentum when Pelini, who finished with 15 points, hit a big 3-pointer in the final seconds of the quarter to push the lead back to double digits.

The Big Red again made a push midway through the fourth quarter and was within nine, and this time it was another returning starter, Thomas Fire, who responded. The fellow senior and captain sank 5-of-6 free throws in the fourth quarter (9-of-11 for the game) and made key plays all game long, scoring 19 points and being a strong presence inside.

“That’s where, as captains, we have to step up,” said Hergenrother of slowing Steubenville’s runs. “We have to rally everyone together and say, ‘We can’t let up. We’ve got to keep pushing to shut them down and not let them back in the game.’ If we let them back in the game, it makes it a lot tougher on ourselves, and we might not end up winning.”

The balanced attack wasn’t all that Palermo was happy to see.

The Cardinals made 21-of-27 free throws, compared to 8-of-20 for Steubenville. Mooney also held Big Red to 19-of-49 shooting, 6-of-22 on 3-pointers. The defense forced Steubenville into 20 turnovers, which led to several transition points for the Cardinals.

“(Free throws) were something we talked about,” Palermo said. “We were 12-12 last year, and I’d say three or four of those games were decided because we just didn’t make free throws. We shot like 61 percent from the line as a team last year. Our goal is to get around 70 or 75 (percent). We were 13-of-16 in the first game. I don’t know what we were tonight, but it was probably something similar to that.

“I love this group,” he added. “They have unbelievable camaraderie. I’ve had just about everbody on my team here since June 1. These guys, if we don’t have something, like during the quarantine, these guys are doing what they can to stay together. They just love being around one another. There’s great chemistry.”