The Greene County Rams lost both the girls and the boys basketball games against the Gilbert Tigers in Jefferson Tuesday, leaving the Rams winless in the young Heart of Iowa Activities Conference season.
The girls scored 21 points for the second consecutive game, losing 55-21 to the Gilbert Tigers after losing 40-21 to the South Hamilton Hawks last Friday.
The Rams put up only three points in the first quarter on a long basket by sophomore Lily Muir with 2:45 to play in the quarter. The Rams struggled in rebounding at both ends of the floor, partly due to the Tigers having the height advantage in almost every position. At the end of the first quarter the Rams trailed 12-3.
The Rams scored eight points in the second quarter, starting with a field goal by junior Bailey Cunningham. Junior Kassie Lamoureux made a 3-point basket, junior Izzy Bravard made one of two free throws, and freshman Madison Hayes made two of two free throws. The Tigers put up 16 points to lead 32-11 at halftime.
The only Ram score in the third quarter was a two-point bucket by Bravard. The score was 44-13 when the quarter ended. In the fourth, sophomore Sadie Wilson made a 3-pointer, Muir made a 2-point shot, junior Kassie Lamoureux made two of two free throws, and Cunningham made one of one free throw.
The loss puts the Ram girls at 0-4 overall and 0-2 in the HOIAC. It was the Tigers’ first conference win, making their record 1-1 in the HOIAC and 2-3 overall.
Rebounding was also a challenge in the boys game, as the Tigers had many more offensive rebounds than the Rams, several times making three shots at the basket in a possession. Also, their speed often let them make it to their end of the floor and shoot before the Rams were able to set up their defense.
The Rams sorely missed the shooting and leadership of senior Trey Hinote. Hinote suffered a bad sprain to his ankle during Friday’s game in Jewell and it’s unknown how many games he’ll miss while his ankle heals.
The first quarter was the Rams’ best and they led 17-16 when the buzzer sounded. The Tigers scored first but with a 2-pointer by junior John Rosado and a pair of tres by junior Carter Morton, the Rams were up 8-4 midway through the quarter.
The Rams scored early in the second quarter before the Tigers put up a 10-point run. With 5:00 left in the half the Rams were down 29-19. The Rams came to within four points, 31-27, but that was as close as they got for the entire rest of the game. Halftime came with the Rams trailing 48-33.
The highlight of the third quarter was junior Cael Fisher’s back-to-back 3-point baskets. He made a total of three long buckets in the quarter. The Rams scored 22 points but the Tigers scored 29. At the end of the third the visitors were ahead 77-55.
The Rams had no wind in their sails in the last stanza. With 2:25 left to play in the game the Tigers had the 35-point margin (95-59) needed to change to a continuous clock. The final score was 95-61.
Morton led the Rams in scoring with 24 points, including four 3-point baskets. Fisher scored 11 points including three 3-point baskets. Rosado scored nine points; Lance Hughes also scored nine points before fouling out with 2:53 to play in the third quarter. Caden Lowmiller added four points, Nick Breon added three, and Skylar Ripperger scored one point.
The Rams are 2-2 overall and 0-2 in the Heart of Iowa. The Tigers are 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the conference.
The Rams host the North Polk Comets for a Mega Night Friday. Games will be played at the middle school and at the Greene County Community Center starting at 4:30 pm.
