Perry completed the first week of the 2021 boys hoops season with a solid matinee-road performance. The Pumas jumped out to a 10-point lead in the opening quarter on Saturday and built on that to the finish in a 59-35 victory over host Corona del Sol.

Perry improved to 3-0 adding on to wins Tuesday and Friday over 6A Premier Region foes Hamilton and Chandler, respectively. Senior point guard Christian Tucker and sophomore wing Cody Williams scored 18 points apiece to lead the Pumas. Seven-foot junior forward Dylan Anderson checked in with nine points and double digits on the boards. Corona del Sol (1-2) was led by guards Roberto Yellowman with 11 points and Brandon Lee with eight.

Tucker sparked Perry's first-quarter, 19-9 lead with nine of his 18 points. Tucker attacked with quickness and resolve. All his points were from close range either via transition layups, a bucket directly off a steal and a putback. The Pumas expected  having to defend the perimeter with smaller Corona relying on shooting guards Yellowman, Lee and Quinn Thorne. The Aztecs began with a meager dose of threes when they did get off shots against good Perry defense. Corona was 3 for 9 shooting in the first period - 2 of 7 threes.

"Our plan was if they were going to beat us it would be with hard twos, not threes," Perry coach Sammy Duane Jr. said. "We did a good job with that. The first half we'd have good spurts and they'd make runs. They were still close enough at the half. The second half we had better focus."

Perry's lead at halftime was 36-22. The Pumas outscored Corona 14-4 in the third period to cinch the outcome. The Aztecs made one shot and two free throws for their points. Shooting prowess over three quarters defined the afternoon - 8 of 35 (23 percent).

"We've played two very good teams (Mountain Pointe on Friday) the last two days," Corona del Sol coach Neil MacDonald said. "We got handled by both. The effort was there, but the execution today was not. Today particularly, if we play like that we have our work cut out for us. I know what I think we're capable of and this was not even close."

Corona did not shoot well from the perimeter The Aztecs started to attack the basket as the game wore on. They got some decent shots inside several times but couldn't finish. Then....

"Our answer was to shoot more threes," MacDonald said. "That was not the answer.....

"This is a good group of kids. We'll get back to practice and work. Go over what we as coaches can do better. In the end it's a matter of executing better. That was the disappointment today."