The Greene County Ram girls lost their sixth consecutive basketball game when they hosted Panorama in the Wisecup gym in Rippey Monday night, but they played like winners. Final score was 51-47. It was the first game since Jan. 23 in which the Rams have scored more than 40 points, and it was the narrowest margin in a Ram loss all season.
The Rams lost on the road in Nevada by 35 points Jan. 27. They’ve lost every game since then, but by smaller and smaller margins. Still, in those five games they lost by an average of 21.8 points.
“I was really proud of our girls’ efforts. I thought it was one of the best games of they year that we have played,” coach Chad Morton said. “It was fun to have a chance to beat a really good team. I hope we can continue to progress here down the stretch. ”
The Panthers scored first but the Rams took the lead at 4-2 and led 17-11 with 28 seconds to play in the first quarter. A Panther 3-pointer on the buzzer put the score at 17-14 after one quarter of play.
The Panther defense dominated in the second quarter, holding the Rams to only nine points as the visitors scored 20 points. The score was tied at 20 after 2:20 of play, but Panthers put up six unanswered points in the next two minutes. The Rams again tied the score at 26, but the Panthers put up the last six points. Score at the half was 34-26.
In the third quarter Panorama led by as many as 13 points, but the Rams cut their lead to 45-38 at the end of the quarter.
Jolee Wessling was the first to score in the fourth quarter, a 3-point shot with 6:10 left to play. The Panthers answered with a 3-pointer of their own. Kayla Mobley made only the first of two free throws to bring the score to 42-48 with 3:39 to play. A Panther free throw put the score at 42-49, but the Rams scored the next five points – a 2-pointer by Mobley and a 3-pointer by Tressa Rasmussen. With 1:40 to play the Rams were down 49-47 and a victory was within reach. The score was still 49-47 with 40 seconds to play. Panorama made two free throws and the Rams had the last possession. They made three shots from close under the basket but couldn’t connect, and the game ended 51-47 for the Panthers.
The Rams have had turnover problems in recent games; their 17 turnovers Monday was an improvement. Panorama had 15 turnovers. Both teams committed 18 fouls, but the performance at the free throw line was telling. The Rams were 10 of 17 for 59 percent at the free throw line, while the Panthers were 14 of 18 for 78 percent.
Mobley led the Rams in scoring with 13 points, with Hannah Onken close behind with 12. Rasmussen and Stacy Mears made seven points each, Wessling made five, and Kenna Marquardt made three. Rasmussen, Mears and Wessling had one 3-pointer each.
It was a “throw-back” game for the Rams, playing in the former East Greene home gym and wearing the white home jerseys of the East Greene Hawkettes. The gym was dedicated as the William and Maybelle Wisecup gym between the JV and varsity games. It was money from the Wisecups’ estate that funded the work needed to retain the gym as a stand-alone structure when the three-story portion of the school was razed last fall.
“Playing in Rippey was a special opportunity. Wearing the East Greene uniforms was great! I know the girls really enjoyed it,” Morton said.
