Coach Chris Nelson’s varsity boys basketball team got its second win of the young season Tuesday in Perry, topping the Blue Jays 69-46. The Blue Jays had won the last six meetings of the non-conference rivalry going into the game.
The Rams got off to a bit of slow start, understandable after they scored 94 points just one day earlier in their win over Ogden. The Rams didn’t score the first 3:35 of play as Perry’s Muhamed Abdelnabi scored five points. Trey Hinote put up the Rams’ first basket for the game. He then made all three free throws after being fouled while taking a 3-point shot to put the score at 5-8. Carter Morton put up a long bucket and the score was tied at 8 with 2:15 to play in the first quarter. Hinote put up another tres and the quarter ended with the Rams up 11-8.
The Rams were helped early on by Abdelnabi’s foul problems. He was the only Blue Jay to score in the first 12:30 of playing time, but he also committed three fouls in that time and he spent some time on the bench to let the clock catch up with his fouls.
The Rams controlled the game in the second quarter, putting up 29 points to the Blue Jays’ 13, including an 11-point run of unanswered points. Morton scored 13 points and Hinote scored nine. The Rams took a 40-21 lead into the intermission.
Turnovers and free throws made a big difference in the half. The Rams made 10 of 10 free throws and committed only six turnovers. The Blue Jays made three of seven free throws and turned the ball over 12 times.
The scoring pace slowed in the second half, but the Rams still built their lead to 29 points. With 3:12 to play in the third quarter junior Skylar Ripperger made his first varsity basket after a Hinote assist. Ripperger’s basket gave the Rams a 29 point lead at 52-23. The Blue Jays scored six unanswered points but Hinote ended the quarter with a 3-pointer and the score was 55-29 when the buzzer sounded.
It was Morton who shined in the final stanza. Hinote didn’t score in the quarter but Morton scored six points, including four points from the line. The Blue Jays mustered 17 points but that wasn’t enough as the Rams scored 13. John Rosado scored his only points of the game in the last 18 seconds with a field goal and one of three free throws. The final score was 69-46.
The two missed free throws in the final seconds of the game were the first misses for the team in the entire game. The Rams had made 16 of 16 free throws until then; they finished at 17 of 19 for an amazing 89.5 percent. The Blue Jays made just one of 13 free throws for 7.7 percent. The Rams committed 12 turnovers to the Blue Jays’ 21.
Carter Morton scored a career high 24 points to lead the Rams in scoring, That included two 3-point baskets and 10 free throws. Trey Hinote scored 21 points with four3-pointers and six free throws. He did not score in the fourth quarter. Lance Hughes scored13 points with one tres before fouling out with two minutes left in the game. Cael Fisher made a pair of 3-point baskets for six points, Rosado made three points and Ripperger made two. Nick Breon started in Monday’s game against Ogden but didn’t play due to an eye injury his sustained during that game.
Mohamed Abdelnabi, a transfer was West Des Moines Valley High School, scored 23 points for Perry, including five 3-point baskets. He was zero for six at the free throw line.
The Rams begin Heart of Iowa Activities Conference play Friday in Jewell against the South Hamilton Hawks. The Hawks were 24-1 last season with their only loss coming in state tournament play. Three seniors graduated from that team. Three of the top four scorers are on the team this year as seniors.
