Beating a team three times in one season is never easy. Monday night proved that as Perry survived a scare from Raccoon River Conference rival Boone 54-52 in the opening round of the 3A District at Gilbert High School. Ryan Rathje’s offensive rebound off a missed free throw proved to be the difference late for Perry. The Bluejays held a 53-50 lead with 7 seconds to go as Shammond Ivory’s free throw hit off the front rim and bounced into the corner where Rathje chased it down and proceeded in knocking in 1 of 2 free throws to give Perry the critical two possession lead. Boone’s John Herrick hit a driving layup as time expired and Perry celebrated a two point victory. The Jays had previously defeated Boone by double digits in two earlier season meetings.
Perry led as many as 18 in the third quarter but a physical Boone full court press led to numerous Perry turnovers in the fourth quarter allowing the Torreadors to fight back and nearly pull off the first round upset. The Jays also struggled from the foul line down the stretch. After not attempting a free throw for the first 3 quarters, Perry went 9-15 from the foul line in the final stanza. Senior Will Whiton hit back to back free throws late to keep Perry on top. The Bluejays never trailed on the night.
“A win is a win and we accomplished our goal for the night,” smiled Perry Head Coach Ned Menke. “We set a goal of advancing and moving on and that is what we did. Sure, we were not happy with the way we played at times in the fourth quarter and in the crunch time. We had quite a few turnovers which is really unusual for us with our exceptional ball handlers. We need to learn from the mistakes and get ready for Thursday night. I was proud of the way the guys hung in there and beat a hungry Boone team.”
Ivory led Perry with 14 points, while Blake Lansing chipped in 13 and Kyle Nevitt finished with 10. Nevitt hit 2 big three’s in the second half. Scott James finished with 5 blocked shots including 2 in the final minute to preserve the Perry victory.
The Bluejays will travel to Ames High School Thursday night to take on Gilbert in the District Final at 7:00. The Heart of Iowa Champs defeated Ballard Monday night 67-61. Shawn Kenney will have the play by play on KDLS.