~by Dustin Teays for The Scranton Journal
The Greene County Rams boys’ basketball team battled their way through a tough slate of games this past week.
The Rams boys had four games on the schedule last week opening up with a game Jan. 13 against Manson-NW Webster in which they fell 70-32. They played the Perry Bluejays Jan. 14, losing 68-37 before squaring off with PCM Jan. 16, losing a close one 57-48. They ended their week Jam. 17 against Grandview Christian where they lost 69-23.
In their first game against Manson-NW Webster, Rafe Michaelsen led all Rams with 10 points and also led in rebounds with seven. Broc Stream led in assists with three and also was the second-leading scorer with seven points. Stream, Nathan Towers and Camden Jacobs were all tied for the team lead in steals with two apiece. The Rams struggled with turnovers with 17 and shot just 26.1 percent from the field.
Against the Bluejays, no Rams were able to score in double figures and Michaelsen again led all Rams with eight points. Camden Jacobs was the second-leading scorer with six points and Isaac Carman and Zack Stalder were tied for the team lead in rebounds with six apiece. The Rams shot just 25 percent from the field and 5.3 percent from behind the three-point line.
In their game against PCM, Isaac Carman led the team in scoring with 15 points and Nick Madsen was just behind him with 12 points. Carman also netted a double-double while leading the team in rebounds with 12. Rafe Michaelsen was the team’s second-leading rebounder with seven boards. The Rams struggled behind the arc as they shot just three-for-twenty for 15 percent but shot well overall with a 42 percent field goal percentage.
Wrapping up their week against Grandview Christian, Carman led the Rams in scoring with eight points and also led the team in rebounds with six. Madsen was second on the team in points with five and rebounds with five. The Rams had 23 turnovers which limited their offensive opportunities, and they shot just 20.4 percent from the field.
After that week, the Rams sat at a 3-11 overall record through their first 14 games and had a 1-9 Heart of Iowa Conference record, near the bottom of the conference. The Rams have shown they have plenty to be excited about and will be searching for some more wins to close out the year.
This week, the Rams take on Woodward Academy on Thursday and close out their week on Friday with another game against the PCM Mustangs.
The extended calendar has the Rams facing Nevada on Jan. 28 and Roland-Story on Jan. 31. The Rams have played and lost to both teams once this season, but they will be looking to even the season series when they face them for the second time this year.
