Not only did the Greene County boys’ basketball team hand previously undefeated PCM (Monroe) its first loss of the season, the Rams did it in convincing fashion, 83-65. Coach Jeramie Hinote’s team entered Friday night’s Heart of Iowa Activities Conference game in Jefferson with records of 2-7 in the conference and 3-7 overall while Fred Lorentzen’s Mustangs were 9-0, 10-0, and ranked fourth in Class 2A. Coach Hinote entered the contest with three career head coaching victories while Coach Lorentzen walked into the gym with 509 wins on his coaching ledger. As the old saying goes, “That’s why you play the game.”
The Rams were 13 of 26 shooting three pointers and 30 of 41 from the free throw line en route to the victory. The points scored by the Rams were a season best and the points allowed by PCM were a season worst. Greene County came out firing away from long range as they sank six-threes in the opening frame and 10 in the first half. Midway through the second period the Rams led by 22 points, but PCM cut the scored to 14 at intermission, 41-27. The Mustangs twice climbed to within nine points in the second half, but could get no closer. Greene County made 23 of 29 foul shots in the last quarter while taking, and making, just one shot from the field in the final eight minutes.
Freshman Trey Tucker (24 points) and sophomore Mitchell Gorsuch (20 points) combined for 44 points for Greene County. The game was the sixth in a row that Tucker has scored at least 20 points and Gorsuch sanked six three-points to reach a career scoring high for the second straight game. Sophomore Tyler Beger scored 12 and junior Landon Braun added nine. Inside players Will Meinecke, a senior, and junior Riah Nelsen, each scored seven points. PCM sophomore Logan Gilman led all scorers with 27 points and senior Dillon Bruxvoordt added 18. Gilman and Bruxvoordt were two of the four PCM players to foul out of the contest.
Coach Hinote credited the hot shooting start by the whole team, Nelsen’s interior defense, and a very enthusiastic fan base, led by the high school students, as keys to the victory. The Mustangs lost for just the second time in their last 42 regular season games.
Greene County fans rushed the court and mobbed the players after the PCM team had gone to the locker room. Wins over highly ranked teams haven’t occurred often in recent seasons for the Rams, but this one is likely to get the attention of the rest of the HOIAC and beyond.
The Rams play on Jan. 21 in Colfax vs. winless Colfax-Mingo on KG98. Coverage starts at 5:45 p.m. with the girls playing at 6 p.m. and the boys to follow. The closest game the Tigerhawks have played this season was last month in Jefferson when the Rams won 56-50.