The ADM boys basketball team hung tough with the first place Blue Jays all game, but as Tigers head coach Aaron Mager said, there are no moral victories. His team’s bid for an upset fell just short Tuesday night in Adel, as visiting Perry held on for a nail-biting 66-63 win.
Perry junior Alex Long had a chance to seal the game at the line with less than 10 seconds remaining, but missed both free throws. ADM got the rebound and pushed it ahead, but senior Joe Sloss’ desperation 3 at the buzzer fell short. It was a bitter ending to an exciting game for the Tigers, who lost their sixth straight to fall to 1-7 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
ADM appeared headed for another long night offensively after being outscored 14-4 through one quarter. But the Tigers’ offense exploded for 23 points in the second quarter, and Perry took a 29-27 lead to the locker room.
The second half was nearly dead even, as both teams ran up and down the court during the fast-paced affair. Perry junior Shammond Ivory battled through foul trouble to finish with 17 points, more than eight points below his season average. Senior Will Whiton scored seven of his 12 points in the second half. The Blue Jays struggled at the line in the first half, shooting just 10-of-19, but aside from Long’s misses at the end, hit their free throws down the stretch.
ADM was lead in scoring by sophomore Matt Larson, who matched Ivory with 17 points. Senior Joe Sloss shook off an extended offensive slump to add 12 points. Junior Jacob Hardy posted his second straight game in double figures with 12 points of his own.
When the Tigers look back at the film from Tuesday’s game, they’ll see some missed layups and open 3-pointers, along with a few stretches of turnover-heavy basketball that did them in. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, survived the upset bid to improve to 8-1 overall and remain atop the conference at 4-0 against Raccoon River conference opponents.
ADM heads to Boone on Friday for a girls-boys doubleheader, while Perry returns home on Friday for a doubleheader against Winterset.