The Greene County Rams hosted the Nevada Cubs for a Mega Night Tuesday and split games.
The boys claimed their second win of the season over the Nevada Cubs by a score similar to the first. The Rams won, 60-55, in Nevada last month. This time the score was 63-55.
The Rams led most of the hard-fought, physical game. The referees were quick to whistle, forcing coaches to use key players carefully. Joe Towers, who averages 10 points a game and is reliable in defensive rebounding, was called for two fouls in the first two minutes of the game.
Towers started the second half with three fouls and Wade Adcock, the Rams’ second leading scorer and leading rebounder, committed his third foul early in the half and his fourth foul with 5:25 to play in the third quarter. Adcock manned the bench until well into the fourth quarter.
The Cubs were also whistled often, with Jack Higgins and Jakob Strottman having four fouls each to start the second half.
The Rams made 10 of 15 free throws for 67 percent, while the Cubs made 13 of 23 for 57 percent.
It took a while for the Rams to handle the Cubs’ 3-2 zone defense early in the game. After scoring first for a 2-0 lead they played the next four minutes without scoring. The Cubs were up 5-2 before the Rams found the hoop again. The quarter ended with the Rams ahead 11-9.
The Rams played more deliberately in the second quarter, perhaps because of the officials’ quick whistles. The Cubs managed to tie the score at 23 with two minutes to play and held a 25-23 lead until Lance Hughes made two free throws to tie the score with 1:10 to play in the half. That was the last time the Rams trailed. The score was 29-25 at intermission.
The third quarter ended with the Rams up by just one point, 39-38, as the Cubs held Trey Hinote scoreless in the quarter. Hinote had finished the first half at 15 points, on track to top his career high of 28 points. That mark was set in the December game against the Cubs.
Hinote made up for lost time in the fourth quarter, making nine of 16 shots and scoring 10 points. He finished the game with 25 points.
Towers scored six points that quarter, his only points of the game. Ben Bravard also scored six points, all on layups assisted by Hughes. The Rams helped their effort with great ball handling, committing no turnovers in the fourth quarter.
The Cubs were also scoring better, though, and with four minutes to play it was a one-point game, 51-50. It was Bravard’s layups and a 2-pointer from Hinote that game the Rams a 59-50 edge with two minutes left in the game.
Adcock and Hughes finished the game with 10 points each. Ben Wilkins had two fourth quarter points.
The Cubs were led in scoring by Luke Merfeld with 16 points. His season average is 10.4.
For the game, the Rams made 24 of 47 2-point shots for 51 percent and five of 11 3-point shots for 45 percent. The Cubs made 11 of 52 2-point shots for 35 percent and four of 18 3-point shots for 22 percent. They also committed 11 turnovers for the game.
The win gives the Rams a 7-2 record in the Heart of Iowa Activities Conference and 8-4 overall. The Cubs are 4-5 in the conference and 5-8 overall.
The Ram girls fared better against the Cubs in their second meeting but still didn’t top the Nevada team, ranked #6 in Class 3A. In their first meeting the Cubs more than doubled the Rams with a 45-21 win. The January game ended with the Cubs up 50-29.
The Rams scored just four points in the first and second quarters; the score at halftime was 22-8. The Rams’ top scorer, senior Laurin Lyons, made three of six free throws in the first three quarters but didn’t score a field goal until making a pair of 3-point baskets in the fourth quarter.
Nevada senior Lexy Koudelka, who averages 22.4 points and 15 rebounds per game and has signed to play for Illinois State next year, injured her leg with three minutes to play in the first half. She did not
The Rams scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, doubling their output from the first three quarters.
For the game, Lyons scored 11 points, Izzy Bravard scored six, Samantha Hardaway and Regan Lamoureux scored four each, Bailey Cunningham scored two, and Onica Delp and Emily Bettey scored one point each. It was the first varsity point for Bettey, a senior.
The Rams are 2-7 in the HOIAC and 5-9 overall.
The Cubs are 13-1, with their only loss being a non-conference game against the Boone Toreadors to start the season.
The boys have nine games left in the season, only two of them home games. The Rams host South Hamilton on Jan. 30 and end the regular season with a non-conference game at home against Grand View Christian Feb. 6. The girls have seven games left, and also finish the regular season hosting Grand View Christian.
