After a slow first quarter, No. 6-ranked Perry found themselves ahead of the No. 4 Chandler Wolves 7-3, and despite multiple runs to cut the Perry lead to one, Chandler was never able to claim the lead in this one as Perry was able to hold them off and secure a 55-49 win on the road.

Missed shots and turnovers hindered both teams in the first half as neither could find a rhythm, with Perry leading just 18-13 at halftime. But the turning point for both teams seemed to be an intentional foul on Chandler senior guard Mykah Anderson that raised the intensity of the game and brought the fans into it.

Chandler carried that intensity into the fourth quarter after hitting a three-pointer at the end of the third to trim the Pumas lead to just 32-29 heading into the fourth.

But for every Wolves run, the Pumas would answer to keep the lead on their side.

“We have some poise. We’ve played the toughest schedule in the state. Although we can’t recreate late game scenarios we practiced and prepped for this and they executed,” Perry head coach Andrew Curtis said.

During the fourth quarter, shots on both sides started to fall as Perry and Chandler both outscored their first half marks in the period alone.

Down the stretch the Pumas led 52-45 with 1:47 left in regulation, but two free throws from Wolves senior point guard Victoria Mason and a steal and score by senior shooting guard Amara Wilson on the ensuing possession cut the lead to 52-49 with 54 seconds left.

After a miss on the front end of a one-and-one by Perry, Chandler had a chance to tie but a missed three-point shot. Two made free throws by Perry junior shooting guard Tatyanna Clayburne all but sealed the deal and the upset in what has contined to be a huge Premier Region rivalry game, with the Pumas winning the last three in the series.

“It felt great. We’ve been preparing for this game for about a week and it felt really good to beat them. This is one of the biggest games for us for sure,” Perry junior guard Grace Oken said.

Perry (9-3, 4-1 Premier Region) will now look ahead to the playing Basha Bears (5-8, 0-4). Chandler (10-2, 2-2) will be eager to rebound in next week’s rematch with the Hamilton Huskies (11-1, 4-0) who beat the Wolves 56-44 on the road earlier this season.