~by Dustin Teays for The Scranton Journal
The Greene County Rams boys basketball team is entering the first round of their postseason after a scoring outburst.
With a regular season record of 4-18, the Rams are heading into the first round of the postseason after picking up a head of steam in their regular season finale. The last two games of their regular season slate were a 74-48 loss to Southeast Valley Feb. 10 and a dominant 93-57 win over South Hamilton the next day.
Against Southeast Valley, the Rams had a strong opening quarter where they led 15-14 after one, but the Jaguars battled back and took the lead heading into halftime, 33-25. The difference maker was the third quarter, as the Rams were outscored 25-4, proving too much to come back from.
Lincoln Schwander led the Rams in scoring with 10 points, Broc Stream had nine, and Teagan Chisholm and Adam Bills had seven apiece. Rafe Michaelsen led the team in rebounds with five, Camden Jacobs led the team in assists with five, and Isaac Carman and Stream were tied for the team lead in steals with three apiece.
While their first game last week didn’t end with a win, their last game of the regular season sure did. The Rams exploded for 93 points, which is double their season average. The Rams scored 33 points in the opening quarter, which laid the foundation for their dominant win. The Rams were truly firing on all cylinders against South Hamilton as they shot 51.6 percent from the floor and 36.9 percent from beyond the arc. A game like this will help them as they move into the first round of the postseason.
Six Rams scored in the double figures, with Schwander leading the team with 18 points, Nick Madsen and Stream had 14 apiece, and Chisholm, Nathan Towers and Jacobs each had 10. Carman led the team in rebounding with six, Towers led the team in assists with five, and Schwander led the team in steals with four.
The Rams finished the regular season with an overall record of 4-18, doubling their win total from a season ago. They also had a 2-14 record in Heart of Iowa Conference play, which is a tough conference as six teams finished with a record of .500 or above. Grand View Christian finished out the regular season as the conference champion with a perfect 16-0 record and Nevada was the runner-up with a 14-2 conference record.
The top five scorers at the end of regular season play were Broc Stream and Isaac Carman who both had 157 total points at the conclusion of the game against South Hamilton, Nick Madsen had 105 points, Rafe Michaelsen had 95 and Camden Jacobs had 89. Seven other Rams also got in on the scoring action during the regular season as well showcasing the depth on the team. As for the postseason, it was scheduled to begin for the Rams on Monday against the Pleasantville Trojans for the right to move on to the next round.
