Fourteen first-half points from 6-5 senior forward Kyle Nevitt and 16 points in the second half from 6-4 senior post Janier Puente fueled Perry to a 58-46 victory over visiting Winterset in Raccoon River Conference action Tuesday.
Nevitt landed a pair of early 3-pointers to spark the Bluejays (2-4, 2-3) to a 9-4 lead after one quarter, with the advantage growing to 27-18 at the break thanks in part to a pair of buckets from Connor Nielsen and two from Rashon Ivory.
The Huskies (1-5, 1-3) managed to shave two points off their deficit after an additional eight minutes to enter the fourth frame trailing, 39-32.
Puente — who had been held to five points on 5-of-8 free throws in the first half — began to assert himself more and more as the game progressed. He finished the second half with seven baskets and two foul shots in four trips while playing his typically physical game in the paint.
The 21 points from Puente were a game-high, with Nevitt adding 19. Nielsen finished with nine points and Ivory with six, with Brandon Kenyon adding two points and Mark Campos one.
Sophomore guard Casey Kellemeier led Winterset with 15 points. Easton Darling had 11 points and Nick Mortoza 10, with eight points form Justin Henry and two from Nick Baur completing the scoring list for the visitors.
The Bluejays will not return to the court until Jan. 6 when they join the Jayettes for a RRC set at Ballard. Both Perry teams will travel to Roland-Story Jan. 7 for a non-conference twin bill.
