Powered by Puente, Perry whips Gilbert in district play

Senior forward dominates in the paint with 33 points; Perry to face host Boone Thursday

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Perry senior Janier Puente draws a crowd of Bondurant-Farrar defenders under the basket Jan. 13. Puente poured in 33 points to lead Perry past Gilbert Monday.

BOONE — Boone blasted visiting Perry, 57-42, January 17, then escaped an emotionally-charged tussle with 50-49 win, at Perry, February 7. Following that loss, several bitterly disappointed Bluejay players expressed their resolute hope that they would have another shot at the Toreadors.

Thanks to a 76-67 win over Gilbert Monday the Jays will have their rematch, as their victory in the 6:30 p.m. was followed by Boone’s 68-42 throttling of Humboldt in the nightcap, setting up Thursday’s Class 3A District 3 Final, in Boone, at 7 p.m.

Perry (12-9) emerged with their victory thanks in large part to the overpowering presence of burly, 6-5 senior forward Janier Puente, who poured in 20 of his game-high 33 points in the first half as the Jays opened a 17-point lead at the half.

Gilbert (12-10) simply had no answer under the basket, with Perry racing to a 25-6 advantage after just eight minutes of action. The teams entered their locker rooms at the half with the Bluejays holding a 39-22 lead.

Tiger forward Garrison Holck’s three first half 3-pointers were all that kept the Tigers from being blown completely off the floor. Gilbert played almost even with Perry (19-18) in the third period, but all the effort managed was to allow the Jays to enter the fourth quarter leading, 58-40.

In a testament to their determination, the Tigers continued to battle throughout the final stanza, and while trailing 71-52 with three minutes to play managed a 15-5 spurt to trim the final margin to nine points, at 76-67.

Holck’s 14 points led Gilbert, with Matt Barragy adding 12 points and Will Turner 11. Steven Lawrence tallied nine points, Matt Ockey eight, Schuyler Hop seven and Will Greder and Cody Dvorak three apiece to cap the Tiger scoring.

Rashon Ivory had 16 points for Perry, with Drew Levan adding nine points on three 3-pointers. Connor Nielsen and Kyle Nevitt contributed seven points apiece, with Brandon Kenyon tallying three points and Reece Dunlap one.

Both teams had miserable outings from the free throw line, with Gilbert connecting on just 12-of-23 attempts while Perry made good on only 10-of-23.

The winner of Thursday’s contest advances to the Substate 2 Final Monday in Johnston, where, at 7 p.m., they will face the winner of the District 4 Final between Ballard and host DC-G. Ballard was a 55-44 winner over Webster City, with DC-G ripping Greene County, 66-36 in their respective semifinal games.

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