Chandler's boys basketball team started the season slow, but the Wolves are leaving little doubt about their prowess as January is more than half done.

Bouncing back from its first loss since the first week of December to Brophy Prep on Tuesday, No. 3 Chandler pulled away in the second half to pound No. 5 Perry, 65-50, in a 6A Premier Region game at Coy Payne Gymnasium.

Chandler makes the turn in region play with a 3-1 mark good for a first-place tie with Brophy as the Broncos fell to Hamilton by five on Friday night. Coach Jonathan Rother's club is 11-2 in power ranking games and 13-2 since it lost three of four games at Gilbert's Welcome To The Jungle Invite.

Perry (12-9 overall, 1-3 in region is in the midst of rough patch losing for the fifth time in its last six games. Three of those were power ranking defeats as that portion of its record is now 8-5. 

Chandler  finished strong in every quarter and took a 41-32 lead to the final period. Perry scored the first six points of the fourth to pull within 41-38 with 6:45 to go. Chandler was lights out the rest of the way, getting a couple baskets off a four-corner offense and making 15 of 18 free throws  - most of them courtesy of sophomore Carson Kelly and senior Isaiah Somers.

Kelly tallied 22 points and Somers 15. The Wolves don't go deep with playing time, but everyone does his part. Vean Simon added 10 points, Adrian Chandler 8 and Carl Wilson 6 to round out the starting unit. Jalen Williams had a game-high 23 points for Perry.

"This was another tough game, the region is tough," Rother said. "It reminds me of the Big East. Every game is a big game. One game after another."

Kelly is the youngster of an otherwise senior starting five. He played another steady game, navigating foul trouble a few times. He left the game with 7:41 left in the fourth quarter when he picked up his fourth foul. When he returned with six minutes left, that's when the Wolves surged back to a double-digit lead and as large as 21 with 1:34 to go.

He (Kelly) is mature past his age and grade," Rother said. "He made shooting free throws the last quarter (9 of 10) look easy and it's not...

"I'm not surprised at how well we are playing. These guys are so close and sacrifice for each other. When you play that way everyone's game goes up."