CARLISLE — Trailing at one point, 17-1, the Perry boys fought all the way back to take a 40-39 lead late in the third quarter, only to see host Carlisle use a rally of their own to record a 64-51 win in Raccoon River Conference action Friday.
The Bluejays (0-3, 0-2) may as well have still been on the bus for the first seven minutes of play, as the Wildcats (2-1, 2-0) roared to a 17-1 lead, a gulf that stood at 23-7 as the second quarter began.
It was at that point Perry suddenly came to life, furiously scrapping back into the game and closing their deficit to only 31-28 entering the intermission.
The determined course continued for the visitors in the third quarter as the Jays kept coming within range of the lead, which they finally grabbed, at 40-39, late in the period. A Wildcat basket gave the hosts a 41-40 lead at the horn, but the warning had been issued, setting the stage for a frantic final frame.
Perry trailed, 44-42, 90 seconds into the final period, but the energy needed to claw back into the game may have been spent by then, as a 14-4 Carlisle surge over the next four minutes created a 55-44 home team lead with just under two minutes remaining, and the Jays were unable to make a last-ditch run.
Rashon Ivory had 14 points for Perry, with Connor Nielsen and Kyle Nevitt adding 12 points apiece. Drew Levan added five points and Janier Puente and Mark Campos four points each.
Collin Lister led all scorers with 24 points for Carlisle. Cole Henderson had 13 points, Max Evans and Thomas Donovan 10 apiece and Max Goodhue seven.
Whistles were aplenty in the contest, with three Jays fouling out. Carlisle finished 17-of-32 at the foul line while Perry sank 18-of-28 at the stripe.
Perry steps out of conference with a trip to Norwalk Tuesday before hosting RRC rival ADM Friday.
