URBANDALE — Perry used a strong fourth-quarter effort to fend off a determined Des Moines Christian squad Saturday for a 77-70 win in boys non-conference action.
Perry, now 7-6 overall, led 20-16 after one frame and 35-34 at the break. DMC, which fell to 15-3 with the loss, stayed within range, trailing only 53-51 with eight minutes to play.
However, the Lions could not counter Perry’s size, as the 1-2 punch of 6-5 seniors Janier Puente and Kyle Nevitt helped the Bluejays post a 24-19 scoring edge in the final stanza as the guests pulled away late for the victory.
Puente finished with 24 points while hauling down 16 rebounds — 10 of them off the offensive glass — and making three steals. The burly post leads the Raccoon River Conference it total caroms (135) and rebounds per game (10.4), the latter a clip tied for sixth-best in Class 3A.
Nevitt hit 3-of-4 3-pointers to finish with 19 points, with Rashon Ivory adding 18 points and three steals. Connor Nielsen had six points and three steals, with Brandon Kenyon providing six points and eight rebounds, of which six came on the offensive end. Ivory and Nielsen sparkled distributing the ball, as both finished with 10 assists.
Ben Juhl had 21 points, eight rebounds and three steals for the Lions, with Austin Mona adding 18 points and Brandon Loverude 12 points. Nathan Herbers added nine points, six boards and four assists, with Isaac Prewitt tallying six points and Seth Juhl four.
The Lions were 7-of-12 at the foul line, while the Bluejays were red-hot at the line, burying 15-of-18 (83 percent).
Perry will visit Winterset Tuesday before hosting Ballard Friday.
