The Ram girls basketball team finished its season with a one point overtime loss to West Central Valley in Stuart Saturday evening. The loss in the opening round of Class 3A Region 8 post season play left coach Chad Morton’s Rams with an overall record of 8-14, with eight of those losses being in the last nine games of the season.
The Rams held a three point lead after one quarter, 12-9, and a one point lead at the half, 25-24. The third quarter, though, was one that the Rams would prefer to erase from the score book. In that quarter, the Rams took nine 2-point shots and three 3-point shots, but the only on that went through the basket was a deuce by Kayla Mobley, for 8 percent shooting. The Rams were 100 percent at the free throw line – Tressa Rasmussen was two for two at the line. The Rams’ four points didn’t hold up against the Wildcats’ 60 percent shooting, and the Rams were down 38-29 at the end of the quarter. The Wildcats put up the first two points of the fourth quarter as well.
The Ram team, which is very senior-dominated, were not ready to give up. In the fourth quarter, they shot a 64 percent, scoring on nine of 12 2-point shots. They were able to take advantage of seven WCV turnovers. Mobley made three of three free throws and the Rams scored 21 points. That included a run of 10 unanswered points. The Rams knotted the score at 44 with 3:03 left in the quarter. With the score 50-49 for the Rams with 16 seconds left to play, the Wildcats missed the second of one-and one-free throws and regulation time ended with the score tied at 50.
In the overtime, senior Jolee Wessling, who had scored only one point in regulation time, scored five points, with two 2-point baskets and one of three free throws. Senior Stacy Mears made a 3-point basket and Mobley made two points. The Rams shot at 60 percent in the overtime while the Wildcats shot at 56 percent, but put up nine shots compared to the Rams’ five. The Rams were up 58-56 with 1:19 left to play. The Wildcats made a 3-point shot (58-59), Mobley put the Rams ahead with two free throws (60-59), but a pair of Ram turnovers gave WCV opportunities to score. The final score was 60-61, with the Rams on the short end.
For the game, Mears scored 19 points, Mobley scored 17, Marissa Promes scored 10, Rasmussen scored eight and Wessling scored six. They and senior Hannah Onken, who did not play Saturday due to injury, have composed the regular rotation, with sophomore Kenna Marquardt being the only underclassman to see much playing time. Sophomore Hannah Promes was part of the rotation until she was injured in December.
“It was an exciting game. It was nice to be in a position to win the game,” said Morton. He thanked the seniors, and said they’re “great kids.”
