Rams streak reaches 10 in OT win

It took overtime and some big defensive stops but Glenwood notched its 10th straight victory of the season on Friday with a 60-59 road victory at Council Bluffs St. Albert.

The Class 3A, No. 8 ranked Rams’ (15-3 overall, 8-2 in the conference) 10-game winning streak is the program’s longest since winning 11 straight to close out the 2017-2018 state championship season and the best in Class 3A this season.

But that streak mattered not at all to a 7-12 Falcon squad that always seems to play Glenwood tough on its home court.

After getting down 19-10 after a quarter and 34-26 at the half, St. Albert came out after halftime with a 21-12 third quarter to take a slim one point lead into the fourth.

Schulte’s squad, however, ramped up the defense in the fourth, forced the game into overtime and then got a pivotal three-point play from John Palmer to help out-score the Falcons’ 5-4 in the extra-frame.

“They play really well at home and it was their senior night and they were amped up for this game,” said Glenwood coach Curt Schulte. “It was good solid Hawkeye 10 battle.”

Schulte said he feels like his team is playing some of its best basketball as the regular season winds down.

“We’re doing some good things,” he said. “The kids have always played with a lot of heart and determination and they really had the will to win, especially in that fourth quarter and overtime. I’m really pleased, we just need to continue to get better.”

Ryan Blum led Glenwood with 23 points. Zach Carr added 12 and Palmer chipped in nine.

Ryan Hughes came off the bench to score 16 points to lead St. Albert.

Glenwood 81,
Clarinda 59

Ryan Blum poured in a career-high and school-record 39 points as Glenwood notched its ninth straight victory in an 81-59 victory over Clarinda last Tuesday.

The Class 3A, No. 8 ranked Rams got off to a quick 22-10 lead after a quarter and cruised to the win behind their hot shooting and Blum’s record-setting night.

Blum broke the school single game scoring mark of 38 points set by Greg Bell during the 1970-71 season. The junior forward hit 15-of-21 shots, including 4-of-8 from behind the arc, and grabbed 11 rebounds.

If it’s at all possible, Schulte said Blum had a “quiet 39 points.”

“Ryan was hitting on all cylinders, not just inside but he was knocking down three’s,” said Glenwood coach Curt Schulte. “He was really in a groove and it was great to see. It kind of crept up on us. We didn’t realize he had that many. He did it from all over the court. He was feeling it.”

As a team Glenwood shot 53.4 percent from the field (31-of-58) and had four players score in double figures behind Blum.

John Palmer added 13 points with Zach Carr and Nate Hughes chipping in 10 points each.

Drew Brown led Clarinda with 17 points.

Glenwood 72,
Shenandoah 39    

Glenwood ran its winning streak to eight games with a72-39 victory over Shenandoah last Tuesday in Hawkeye 10 Conference boys basketball.

The Rams last lost a game more than a month ago. The biggest difference head coach Curt Schulte sees in that 5-3 team that lost a tough 62-57 road game at Council Bluffs Lewis Central and the 13-3 team that ran away from Shenandoah Tuesday is every coach’s favorite word: chemistry.

“We’re playing together,” Schulte said. “We’re starting to gel, we’re starting to believe in each other. That’s the biggest thing. That and our defense has been much better now than it was to start the year.”

Glenwood was ready to play from the opening tip against the Cowboys. Leading 7-4 early, the Rams went on a 25-4 run over the next eight minutes spanning the first and second quarters to blow open their lead. They held a 43-18 lead at the half.

In that first half run the Ram defense smothered the Cowboys, holding them two just one field goal over one six minute stretch and turning a half dozen turnovers into fast break points.

“We turned our defense into offense and did a good job in our half court sets of not settling,” Schulte said. “We got ball reversals and the ball inside and a lot of high percentage shots.”

Glenwood grabbed 16 steals in the game and grabbed 20 of their 42 rebounds on the offensive glass.

“I thought we did a good job stopping penetration, our closeouts were pretty good and that’s always good to see on the defensive end,” Schulte said.

Ryan Blum paced four Rams in double-figures with 14 points. Zach Carr added 13 and John Palmer and Dylan Sondag added 11 each.