The Ram basketball games started a busy week Monday hosting the Southeast Valley (Gowrie) Jaguars for non-conference games. The girls lost 38-29 and the boys won 69-46.
The girls continued the struggles that caught them at Wells Fargo Arena, shooting at 18 percent for the game and committing 22 turnovers.
The Jaguars took the early lead, as the Rams were down by 11 points before they scored. The Jaguars’ margin was as much as 14 points, but the score was 16-4 after one quarter.
A win was well within reach at halftime, as the Rams scored 11 points to the Jaguars’ four. A highlight of the second quarter was back-to-back 3-point baskets by sophomore Kassie Lamoureux.
The scoring pace was slow in the third quarter, with the Rams scoring only five points, three of them from the free throw line. The score was 27-20 after three quarters on the way to the final 38-29 score.
Laurin Lyons scored 10 points. Lamoureux had nine points, all 3-pointers, Onica Delp scored three points, and Samantha Hardaway and Bailey Cunningham scored three each.
Unofficially the Rams shot at 18 percent from 2-point range, 25 percent from 3-point range, and 56 percent from the free throw line. They committed 22 turnovers.
The Jaguars made 27 percent of their 2-point shots, 21 percent of their 3-point shots and 73 percent of their free throws. They committed 17 turnovers.
It was the fourth consecutive loss for the Rams as the went to 3-4 overall. The Jaguars are now 4-5 overall.
The boys avenged an overtime loss to Southeast Valley in Gowrie last December with a 69-46 victory.
The Rams scored just three seconds into the game and they were never behind, although the game was tied at seven after four minutes of play. A highlight of the quarter was a steal by Ben Bravard as the Jaguars were inbounding after a Ram score. Bravard turned and made a 2-point basket to give the Rams their first double-digit lead of the game, 18-7.
The Rams didn’t score in the first three minutes of the second quarter and the visitors pulled to within four points, 19-15. By the intermission the Rams were ahead again, 29-19.
The Rams held the Jaguars to only 12 points in the third quarter, with good defense causing the Jags to turn the ball over often. The Rams also had a hard time holding on to the ball that quarter, but their offense kept them in the game. With a 3-point basket by Carter Morton as the buzzer sounded at the end of thee quarter, the Rams were up 47-31.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Rams as they methodically built the lead to the final 69-46 margin.
For the game the Rams shot at 46.5 percent from 2-point range, 33 percent from 3-point range and 61 percent from the charity line.
Trey Hinote’s game was “on.” He made 25 points, including three 3-point baskets. Morton scored 13 points with two 3’s and three for three free throw shooting. Wade Adcock scored eight points and led the team in rebounds with 10. Bravard also scored eight points with one long bucket.
Lance Hughes scored seven points and led in steals with five. Xavier Hayes scored three points while Jordan Patterson and Joe Towers scored two each. As in the Friday game against North Polk, all Ram players saw time on the floor.
The win puts the Rams at 5-1 overall and 4-1 in the HOIAC.
The Ram teams travel to Nevada Tuesday to play the 3-4 Cubs. Both teams play in Boone Thursday, and the boys finish the 2017 portion of their season with a game against Perry in Jefferson Friday.
