Visiting Carroll fended off a pair of second half comebacks from Perry to record a 42-37 victory in the Raccoon River Conference opener for both girls teams.
Perry (1-3, 0-1) hit 9-of-11 free throws in a season-opening win against Des Moines North, but were only a combined 19-of-42 at the stripe in consecutive road losses to Newton and Greene County. The woes continued Friday, with a miserly 5-of-15 outing spoiling any chances of a win, especially as the hosts hit just 1-of-8 during a key stretch late in the contest.
Carroll (1-2, 1-0) used an 8-2 run to close the first quarter with a 12-7 lead and remained in front, 21-16, at the intermission.
The Tigers threatened to blow open the game early in the third quarter, but a Jayette surge evened the score at 26-all. The ensuing 40 seconds proved fatal, as the guests scored on a set play, then converted a pair of poor Perry passes into turnovers and baskets to open a 32-26 lead.
Perry trailed, 36-28, as the fourth quarter began, but, as in the third frame, hustled their way back into contention, closing to within 38-34. Aggressive moves to the basket kept sending Jayette players to the foul line, but no points were forthcoming, stifling the chances of a complete rally.
The hosts were within a possession, at 40-37, but Josie Pettitt hit 1-of-2 foul shots for her only point of the game, with Laura Sweeney hitting 1-of-2 (Carroll was 7-of-12 at the line) to cap the scoring. Sweeney led all scorers with 18 points.
Molly Lutmer splashed three 3-pointers to score a team-high 13 points for Perry, with Gabby West adding eight points. Six points from Alyssa Kruger, five from Isabel Saemisch, four from Grace Stewart and one from Natalie Martinez accounted for the remainder of the Jayette offense.
Perry returns to action Tuesday with a trip to DC-G, with a home contest against Carlisle set for Friday.
