The Perry varsity basketball teams dropped a pair of games against their cross-county rivals, losing to Adel-DeSoto-Minburn by a score of 85-55 in the girls game and 62-45 in the boys. However, the stars of the two Perry squads certainly made things interesting on their home court Friday night.

The Jayettes got out to a sluggish start against the Tigers in the first quarter of the doubleheader, only mounting five points in the first eight minutes. Senior Molly Lutmer then turned it on in the second quarter en route to 16 points by halftime. Perry still trailed 41-25 after two quarters, but were showing signs of life. In the second half it was the Lutmer show, as she repeatedly knifed through the defense and got contested shots to fall. She would make seven two-point baskets and a three in the third and fourth quarters, finishing with a game-high 36 points. It wasn’t enough, though, as the Tigers had three players in double figures, including 21 points from senior Abbie Hlas, coming away with the 85-55 win.

The boys game was exciting throughout, especially in the first half. The first quarter was a defensive struggle that ended with the Tigers up 14-6. In the second, senior Brendan Ivory caught fire and scored all 11 of his first half points, bringing the Bluejays to within 25-23 at halftime. Ivory then made the first shot of the third quarter and gave Perry their first lead of the game. However, the third quickly went off the rails and the Bluejays only managed two more points in the period, entering the fourth down 45-28. With Ivory’s help, they got back to within 10 at one point in the final stanza, but ADM junior Nate Mueller proved too much, scoring 21 points in the 62-45 win. Ivory finished with 31 points, including seven three pointers in the game.

The losses drop the Jayettes to 5-10, and the Bluejays to 3-10. Both teams will have a short turnaround, as they host Madrid today in a rescheduled game.