~by Taylor Teays for The Scranton Journal
The Greene County girls basketball continued their search for a win last week, but came up short in three games.
For the last week of regular season play, the Rams played at home on Feb. 6 against Southeast Valley and Feb. 7 at Wells Fargo Arena against Saydel.
Class 3A regional play begins Saturday at West Marshall High School. The Trojans are ranked No. 4 in the state with a 19-1 record.
On Tuesday, Jan. 31, the team traveled to Perry High School, where they fell to the Jayettes 50-28. Greene County managed just nine points while the Jayettes scored 24 in the first half. The Rams came out strong in the third quarter, putting 15 points on the board to cut the lead to 31-24 but then stumbled in the fourth, scoring only four points.
Emma Shipley scored eight points, Alexa Peters and Esther Van Horn each scored five. Kamryn Sanders had 11 rebounds with one block, Payton Kokenge had eight boards, and Ashlynn Hinners contributed five rebounds and one block.
As a team, the Rams had 38 rebounds, six assists, three steals and three blocks. They made 11 of 44 2-point shots for 25 percent, four of 14 3-point shots for 28.6 percent, and two of seven free throws for 28.6 percent. They committed 18 fouls and turned the ball over 24 times.
Thursday, Feb. 2, was another road show for the Rams, visiting Hoover High School in Des Moines. The Rams had a close game and scored a season high of 43 points. They lost by five points, 48-43.
Emma Shipley earned a double/double with 11 rebounds and 15 points. Sanders scored in double figures with 10. Peters added five points with four assists, with Kokenge rebounding the ball nine times with two steals.
Their shooting percentages were similar to the game against Perry, making 25 percent of 2-point shots, 19.2 percent of 3-point shots and two of nine free throws. They committed fewer fouls at 13 and fewer turnovers at 18.
The Rams lost at home the next night to Nevada, 41-15. Esther Van Horn led the team in scoring with five points. Peters and Shipley scored three points each and Sanders and Hinners scored two points apiece. The Rams turned the ball over 29 times and committed 12 fouls.
Standings in the Heart of Iowa Activities conference are unchanged from a week ago. West Marshall leads the conference at 12-1, followed by Roland-Story 10-3, South Hamilton 9-4, Nevada 8-5, PCM 7-6, Perry 4-9, Saydel 2-11, and Greene County 0-13.
