~courtesy of The Scranton Journal
The Greene County boys basketball team lost two Heart of Iowa Activities Conference games last week. League-leading Gilbert dropped the Rams 79-45 Feb. 3 and third place Nevada won 74-60 the following night. Both games were in Jefferson. Greene County defeated 1-17 Saydel 54-44 on the road Friday and fell in non-conference action to Carroll 81-52 Saturday.
Varsity activity in the old middle school gymnasium winds up this week as next year the Rams will enjoy new facilities. The boys end their regular schedule and the chance to end on a winning note when they host Saydel on Friday.
Gilbert 79 ~ Rams 45
Greene County could not match the scoring pace of Gilbert as the Tigers raced to a 21-11 first period advantage and held a 46-25 lead at halftime. Gilbert continued to fire at a rapid pace, adding 28 points in the third to go up 74-39. Reserves finished out the game as the Tigers notched the win 79-45.
Carter Morton scored 19 points for the Rams with Bryce Stalder and Jesse Miller adding six points. Richard Daugherty led the team with six rebounds.
Gilbert posted 27 field goals to Greene County’s 17. A large discrepancy appeared at the foul line as the Rams made three of seven while the Tigers drained 17 of 24 freethrows. Gilbert outrebounded the Rams 42-27 and hampered the GC offense with 21 steals.
Nevada 74 ~ Rams 60
Greene County trailed Nevada 17-12 at the end of the first period, but the Rams battled back in the second to take a 35-34 lead into the locker room. The Cubs got hot in the third to outscore GC 22-13 for a 56-48 advantage heading into the final frame. Nevada continued to control the offense for a 74-60 victory.
Cael Fisher came off the bench to lead scoring for the Rams with 16. Bryce Stalder added 15 points and Richard Daugherty had 13. Carter Morton grabbed nine boards to top the team in rebounds. Kody Kruschwitz led all scorers with 27 for the Cubs.
Greene County made 12 of 29 two-point goals, 11 of 27 three-pointers and three of five freethrows. Nevada hit 18 of 35 two-pointers, 10 of 25 behind the arc and eight of 12 at the line. The Cubs won the battle of the boards 37-29.
Rams 54 ~ Saydel 44
After trailing Saydel early in the first period, Greene County scored 11 unanswered points to lead 18-9 in the first. By halftime the Rams had doubled their opponents’ score 28-14. The Eagles found the range from beyond the arc in the third quarter, draining five to close a 14-point spread to eight points, 43-35. The Rams held off the rally for a 54-44 victory.
Carter Morton had a strong performance, scoring 26 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and passing for six assists.
Greene County made 21 of 53 field goals while Saydel hit 17 of 49. The Rams outrebounded the Eagles 30-21.
Carroll 81 ~ Rams 52
Carroll, the number two ranked team in Class 3A, took control of the game from the start and never allowed Greene County to threaten. The Tigers rolled to a 22-13 first period lead and were up 34-25 at the break. At the end of the third quarter, Carroll had a 54-38 advantage. They had a huge final frame, outscoring the Rams 27-14, going on to win 81-52.
Seniors Carter Morton and Cael Fisher reached double figures with 14 and 10 points respectively. Morton topped the charts with five rebounds, six assists and three steals. The Rams stroked 11 three-pointers in the loss.
