The Greene County boys basketball team celebrated its first victory of the season and in the new gymnasium, a 59-45 win over Saydel on Jan. 8. On Tuesday, Jan. 5, the Rams lost to Webster City 51-36 in non-conference action. GC is 1-6 overall and 1-3 in Heart of Iowa Conference standings.
“I thought we did a lot of nice things this past week in our two games,” said coach Chris Nelson. “Defensively we have been pretty good all season and guys are really starting to get that defensive mindset. Unfortunately, against Webster City we went cold in a couple quarters which in the end cost us. However, our guys have always continued to battle and it paid off against Saydel as we got a very nice complete game win. Defensively we controlled things and it was great to see our guys find some rhythm on offense and start knocking down some shots. It was a really good team effort from all our guys.”
Zach Goff, the lone senior on the roster, was honored on Senior Night.
The Rams held a slim 14-13 lead after eight minutes of play. By halftime they were up 27-21. A strong third period for GC stretched their lead to 46-35. The Rams didn’t falter in the final frame, outscoring the Eagles 13-10 to post a 59-45 victory.
Richard Daugherty had a career night, scoring 31 points. The sophomore drilled nine three-pointers, tying the school record. Junior Bryce Stalder had a pair of treys, finishing with 12 points. Goff and sophomore Jesse Miller added six points apiece. Miller was injured during the game and will not be able to play in Friday’s game in Nevada.
The Rams made 22 of 48 field goals for 45.8 percent. They made four of seven shots from the free throw line. They totaled four offensive rebounds and 20 defensive rebounds. Junior Max Riley led the team in steals with five. The teal totaled 17 turnovers for the game.
Sophomore Mason Hicks fired 17 points for the Eagles.
In the Tuesday game against the Webster City Lynx, both teams had trouble finding the basket in the first period with Webster City leading 9-0. Greene County picked up the pace in the second quarter, scoring 16 points, but the Lynx held a 22-16 advantage at halftime. Both teams had a good third frame as the Rams were down by five 38-33 going into the final eight minutes. Another scoring drought for the Rams ended hopes for a win as they managed just three points in the fourth quarter, allowing the Lynx to take the victory 51-36.
Senior Tyler Olson poured in 24 points for Webster City. Miller was high scorer for the Rams with nine. Daugherty added eight while Riley and Stalder had seven apiece. Goff crashed the boards to grab 10 rebounds while Miller had seven.
The Rams made 15 of 46 field goals for 33 percent, posted 28 rebounds and had 17 turnovers. The Lynx made 21/48 from the field for 44 percent, also had 28 rebounds and committed 10 turnovers. ~courtesy of The Scranton Journal
