For three quarters, it looked like Perry was in danger of dropping its 7th straight first round district matchup. Trailing 48-42 to start the fourth, Perry went on a 28-12 run over the final eight minutes to rally and defeat Denison Schleswig 70-60 in a 3A first round matchup. Sophomore guard Shammond Ivory was unstoppable for Perry scoring a career high 37 points while junior Will Whiton scored 23. Center Scott James played his strongest game of the season providing solid defense and rebounding against Monarch 6-7 center T Pauley. James blocked a shot with 6:02 to go that turned into an Ivory runout to give Perry their first lead of the night. The Bluejays never looked back after that.
“I thought we were a little timid of their shot blocker in the first half. We were missing some layups on penetration that we normally don’t miss, added Perry Coach Ned Menke. “The second half, our kids attacked the hoop and looked to score. Plus the three point shots were falling which always helps. This might be the biggest win of my coaching career here in Perry. Its nice to get the district win.”
Perry will travel to Denison Thursday night for a 3A District Final with Harlan after the Cyclones defeated ADM by 20 Monday night. Shawn Kenney will have the play by play on KDLS AM 1310.