The Greene County varsity basketball teams both went home with losses after a road trip to Jewell Friday to play the South Hamilton Hawks.
The girls teams took similar statistics into the game. The Rams were 4-7 overall and 1-5 in the Heart of Iowa Activities Conference, and averaged 36 points per game. The Hawks’ record was 3-8 overall and 2-5 in the conference, with a 37 points per game average.
The Rams prevailed in the first half, leading 14-8 after one quarter and 22-14 at intermission. In the third quarter the Hawk offense soared, putting up 19 unanswered points to claim a lead and then some. The final score was 55-40 in favor of the Hawks.
The play of sophomore Izzy Bravard is what Ram fans will remember about the game. Bravard, who averages 1.9 points per game, scored 16 points to lead the team. Samantha Hardaway scored12 points, Laurin Lyon scored seven, Regan and Kassie Lamoureux scored two each and Ashley Millard scored one point.
The Rams made seven of 11 free throws in the first half but did not make it to the charity stripe in the entire second half. The Hawks for the game made 11 of 16 free throws.
The boys had the momentum of winning 16 consecutive conference road games, and being the only team to defeat the Hawks in the 2016-17 season, despite the Hawks’ 11-0 season record and their ranking as #6 in Class 2A.
The boys, like the girls, started well and led the Hawks 19-7 at the end of the first quarter. The score included two 3-point baskets by Joe Towers in the last six seconds of the quarter, with the second one being almost from half-court on the buzzer.
The second quarter finished with the Hawks up 33-25. A Lance Hughes 3-pointer two minutes into the quarter and a Towers 3-pointer a minute later were the only Ram points. The Hawks finished the half with 17 unanswered points. Seven of those points were from the free throw line, and Towers and Carter Morton had been tagged with three fouls each.
Lance Hughes ended the Rams’ drought early in the third quarter but the damage was done. The Rams outscored the Hawks by two points that quarter, and with the score 45-39 at the end of the third, a Ram win was still possible.
The Rams got to within three points of the Hawks, 49-46, with 3:28 to play, but with a minute to play the Hawks’ lead was back to eight points, 60-52. The Hawks were nearly perfect at the free throw line in the quarter, making eight of nine shots. The Rams took only three free throws in the fourth and made two of them. The final score was 64-56 and the Hawks retained their unbeaten record.
The Rams managed to put up more points than the average allowed by the Hawks this season. Other opponents have averaged only 42 points against them. Hawk senior Conner Hill had most of the defensive duties against Ram top-scorer Trey Hinote. Hill held him to only eight points, half of his season average. (Hill also led the Hawks in scoring with 22 points.)
As has happened more than once this season, Wade Adcock stepped up his game. He averages 15 points a game but scored 21 against the Hawks. Towers scored 15 points, five more than his season average. Hughes scored eight points and Jordan Patterson scored four.
The Hawks made 15 of 21 free throws for the game for 71 percent; the Rams made nine of 13 free throws for 69 percent. The Hawks were tagged for 14 fouls for the game while the Rams were tagged with 21.
The Rams have only one game next week, a home game against the Saydel Eagles Friday, Jan. 12. They play four games the following week, playing at Winterset Monday (Jan. 15), hosting Nevada Tuesday, then going to Gilbert on Friday and Webster City on Saturday.
