Winterset claims pair of RRC wins over visiting Perry

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Freshman Lydia Olejniczak looks for open space against ADM earlier this season.

WINTERSET — Visiting Perry fell to Winterset in a pair of wildly different Raccoon River Conference games Tuesday.

The Huskies (3-5, 3-2) overcame a late surge and strong defense down the stretch by the Jayettes (4-5, 0-4) to escape with a 54-51 win in the opener, with ninth-ranked Winterset (6-1, 3-1) having little trouble in dispatching Perry (1-6, 0-4) in the boys game.

The girls contest featured two extended runs and a goodly portion of drama in the final moments. Perry held a 14-11 lead after one quarter, but entered the intermission facing a 30-28 deficit.

Winterset threatened to blow the game wide open with a 14-0 run in the second half and held a 50-38 lead as the fourth quarter began, but Perry responded with an 8-0 run of their own to surge back into contention.

While Perry held the hosts to only four points in the final eight minutes, it was second-chance points off of offensive rebounds by the taller Huskies squad — especially in the third quarter and on a key missed free throw with under a minute to play — that saved victory for the home team.

The game featured high-scoring outbursts from Winterset freshman Jena Young, who finished with 32 points, and Perry senior Molly Lutmer, who buried five 3-pointers en route to 27 points.

Young entered the game averaging 16 points, fourth-best in the RRC, while Lutmer leads the conference and is fourth in Class 4A at 21.3 points per game.

Lutmer achieved a career milestone in the loss, topping the 1,000 point total for her stellar career. She has committed to play collegiate hoops for the University of Sioux Falls.

Jayna Kenney leads the RRC with 7.3 rebounds per game. She had an unofficial 12 boards Tuesday while scoring eight points, with Lydia Olejniczak and Kennedy Tunink each scoring seven points while Hannah Peterson had two. Kenney, Olejniczak and Tunink all one 3-pointer apiece.

Avary Darling had six points for Winterset, with Abby Benshoof and Bridget Stover scoring five points apiece while Ainsley Gurwell and Lauren Carter added three points apiece.

The ninth-ranked Winterset boys returned their top statistical leaders from a team that finished third at the state tournament last year, and their prowess was on full display in the nightcap.

Perry led only in the first few minutes before the hosts tied the game at 6-all with three minutes left in the first quarter. At that point the Huskies broke loose on a 24-0 run that generated a 36-16 halftime lead. The Bluejays faced a 58-27 deficit after three frames, a gap that continued to widen as the game wound down.

Brendan Ivory had two 3-pointers as part of his 17 points to pace Perry. Six points apiece from Kato Dougan and Keghan West and two from Jordan Long closed the Bluejay scoring.

All-state guard Easton Darling buried six of Winterset’s 11 treys en route to a game-high 30 points. Casey Young had nine points, Brock Johnson eight and Blake Bellamy and Hunter Farr six apiece for the hosts. Dawson Forgy contributed five points, with two points apiece from Levi Gurwell, Sam Schrodt and Christian Barker completing the scoring list.

Perry will host Ballard Friday and Boone Tuesday before traveling to Bondurant-Farrar Jan. 10. Perry was to host Madrid for a boys/girls Saturday matinee, but those games have been postponed to Feb. 1.

 

Perry senior Molly Lutmer (holding sign) is surrounded by teammates in Winterset Tuesday. Lutmer scored 27 points to become the latest Jayette to surpass the 1,000 career point plateau. Photo courtesy Perry schools.

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