One of the postgame features for Greene County High School basketball broadcasts on KG98 and www.raccoonvalleyradio.com is the “Unsung Hero of the Game.” Friday night at Saydel, the Greene County boys had no fewer than five players fit that mold as the Rams broke a three-game losing streak and won in overtime, 79-74.
Just two days before playing the Eagles (2-8, 0-7), the leading scorer for the Rams quit the team. The previous day, it was learned two reserves were ineligible for several games, and another starter was on a family vacation and would also miss the game at Saydel. Plus, 6′ 9″ transfer student Tyler Miller is not eligible to play on the varsity level until the middle of this month.
Once the game began, the Rams were almost immediately in foul trouble. That meant some players not used to getting many varsity minutes would be doing so, and would be asked to contribute in a positive way, which is exactly what happened. The Rams won the game to improve to 5-6 overall and 3-4 in Heart of Iowa Activities Conference play.
The two top remaining scorers certainly did their parts with junior Carter Morton scoring a career high 30 points and senior Trey Hinote added 25, despite missing nearly half the game with foul trouble. Others not only scored, but rebounded, defended, and passed the ball successfully. Junior Caden Lowmiller came off the bench to score eight points, nearly six above his average. Junior Skylar Ripperger added five, nearly four above his average. Junior Nick Breon is a starter with a 2.1 scoring average and he put five points on the board. Junior Xavier Hayes started for the first time and he had four points. Junior John Rosado added two points. Of the 24 points scored by Lowmiller, Ripperger, Breon, Hayes and Rosado, all but three were scored in the second half or overtime.
Next up is a trip to undefeated and top 10 rated Gilbert on Friday night. That girl/boy doubleheader can be heard on KG98 and streamed on www.raccoonvalleyradio.com. The Tigers won the first meet 95-61 in early December in Jefferson.