For the past few seasons, a girls basketball meeting between Perry and Winterset met three all-state players would be on the court. During those seasons, the visiting team seemed to have the upper hand in most meetings, and the 2015-2016 season has followed suit.
The all-staters have since graduated, but it was Perry who emerged with a 53-34 win, at Winterset Jan. 8. On Friday, the Huskies returned the favor, topping the host Jayettes, 60-47, to split their Raccoon River Conference season series.
Winterset held a 13-8 lead after the first quarter of play, with an Emma Olejniczak 3-pointer pulling Perry to within a point, at 19-18, midway through the second quarter. However, the Huskies managed to put the final five points of the first half in their column and entered the intermission owning a 24-18 advantage.
Perry had two turnover and missed four shots on their first six possessions of the third quarter, allowing Winterset to spurt to a 35-18 lead. Alyssa Kruger scored five consecutive points for the Jayettes, who closed to within 37-25, but the Huskies ended the period with a 41-27 edge.
Treys from Mariah Duffy and Grace Marburger offset an Ally Pickering triple as Perry came within 50-42 with 90 seconds to play, with another Duffy bomb moments later bringing the score to 53-46 with 48 ticks left.
That, however, was as close as the hosts would come, as the Huskies sank 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch to ice the game. Winterset was a sparkling 20-of-23 (87 percent) at the line in the game while Perry drained 9-of-16 (56 percent) at the stripe.
Macy Johnson and Molly Eyerly had 14 points apiece for the visitors, with Madison Wauters adding 12 points. Ally Pickering had six points, Sophie Stover and Mia Olson four points apiece and Corry Pickering and Erika Shahan three points apiece.
Marburger’s 16 points led the Jayettes, with Taylor Lathrum providing 10 points. Duffy and Olejniczak had seven points apiece, with Kruger scoring five points and Grace Stewart two.
Perry will visit Bondurant-Farrar Tuesday before hosting Boone Friday.
