Host Perry withstood a blizzard of early 3-pointers from Des Moines North, then withstood a late charge to claim a 58-52 victory in their season opener Friday.
The 58 points is the most scored by the Jayettes since the final game of the 2017 season and came as the result of an energetic effort and nine bombs from beyond the 3-point arc. The victory avenged a bitter 54-52 loss, in the North HS gym, last season.
The Polar Bears were the ones scorching the nets early, as the guests singed the nylon by burying 5-of-8 treys en route to a 23-10 advantage after one quarter of play.
Neither team had much success on the offensive glass, but Perry played a pestering defense that began to flummox the North shooters and created the opportunity to close the gap. Molly Lutmer hit three triples, Hannah Peterson and Jayna Kenney two each and Kennedy Tunink one to fuel a furious Jayette charge to close the half, with a pair of Lydia Olejniczak free throws tying the game at 31-all entering the intermission.
Lutmer began to aggressively attack the North defense, with Peterson and Kenney following suit, as Perry opened a 45-38 lead after three frames.
The Polar Bears slowly clawed their way back into contention, closing to within 53-52 with two minutes to play. Foul shooting helped spark the charge, as the guests — who did not attempt a free throw in the first half — splashed 11-of-15 at the stripe after the break.
Junior guard Tunink splashed a key 3-pointer with 57 seconds on the clock to make the score 56-52, with a driving layup along the baseline from Peterson with 28 ticks to play giving the Jayettes breathing room, at 58-52, where the score remained.
Lutmer finished with a game-high 23 points, with Peterson adding 12, Kenney 11, Tunink eight and Olejniczak four. Ainsley Marburger and Ashley Cerna also played, and while not scoring made key defensive contributions to aid the winning cause.
Ihari Omono had 22 points for the visitors, with Nya Mach providing 12 points, Elizabeth Puot 10 and Kapri King eight. Omono had three 3-pointers, with King and Mach each hitting a pair of triples.
Perry plays a girls-only junior varsity/varsity set at Newton Tuesday, with the JV contest to start at 6:15 p.m. The Jayettes will be joined by the Bluejays for a trip to Greene County Dec. 2, with Carroll visiting Perry for the Raccoon River Conference opener Dec. 5.
