Perry used a harassing defense and an impressive show of overall team speed to fuel a 19-6 run in the final six minutes of the third quarter to break open a one-point game and claim a 58-47 win over North Polk Tuesday.
Eight Bluejays entered the score book and head coach Denny McDonnell was true to his pre-season word, using nine players in a steady rotation to slowly wear down a game Comet squad.
Perry appeared to have things well in hand, as the hosts ended the first quarter with a 17-10 lead and a 27-20 halftime edge. The aggressive man-to-man Bluejay defense sent North Polk to the line regularly in the first half, with the guests scoring 11 of their 20 points at the stripe. The Comets finished the game 13-of-16 at the line, with Perry hitting just 3-of-9.
North Polk closed to within 27-26 after the first two minutes of the second half, but Perry suddenly turned the intensity up a notch, scoring repeatedly on secondary breaks and with crisp cuts to the basket. By the time the Comets stopped the bleeding the Bluejays had opened a 38-26 lead, a margin that ballooned to 46-32 entering the final frame.
The teams played a fairly even fourth quarter, with Perry answering most North Polk baskets with scores of their own. Play became a little chippy in the waning minutes, but both teams settled down with incident, and the hosts went on to claim an 11-point victory.
Rashon Ivory led the way for Perry with 18 points, with Brandon Kenyon adding 10 points and Connor Nielsen eight despite sitting the first half. Drew Levan had seven points, freshman Brendan Ivory six, Tanner Duffy four, Michael Meyer three and Reece Dunlap two.
Colten Parkins had 17 points to pace North Polk, with Caleb Lomica providing 10 points.
The Perry junior varsity and freshmen teams were also in action Tuesday, with both suffering losses. The JV was handed a 45-30 setback while the frosh squad struggled in taking a 50-10 loss.
Luke Rathje led the JV Jays with 10 points, with Gage Laws and Keghan West each adding four points. Mario Cruz, Kato Dougan and Alex Morales had two points each and Carlos Calderon added one point. The Perry score book did not account for the three additional points.
Chase Archer had four points for the Perry freshmen, with Kyle Lockwood, Jordan Ochoa and June Rey Riesberg each scoring two points apiece.
Perry hosts Carroll in a girls/boys Raccoon River Conference set Friday. The Bluejays will follow the Jayettes Saturday as well as Perry travels to Des Moines Christian, with the first game starting at 1 p.m.
