Rams rally in fourth for regional victory

Win and advance.

Glenwood did just that Saturday night as the Rams erased a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to pull out a 60-57 Class 4A regional semifinal victory over visiting Lewis Central.

The victory improved Glenwood’s record to 18-4 on the season and advanced the Rams into a Tuesday night regional championship match-up with Winterset (see coverage on www.opinion-tribune.com).

For over three quarters, the Titans (12-11) controlled the ball and the scoreboard. Typically, a 2-3 zone defense, Lewis Central matched up man-to-man with the Rams all game long.

“They had a great game plan, and we took a while to adjust,” said Glenwood coach Brian Rasmussen.

Junior Jenna Hopp led the adjustment Glenwood needed in the fourth quarter after the Rams found themselves trailing 49-39 with less than seven minutes left in game. Hopp took over from there, scoring eight consecutive points over the next three minutes to trim the LC lead to 49-47.

The teams traded field goals and free throws down the stretch with Hopp continuing her hot shooting. She knocked down a pair of free throws with 1:46 left to give the Rams a 55-53 cushion. The lead was short-lived, however, as the Titans’ Brooke Larsen drove to the basket for a layup to knot the score.

Glenwood failed to score on its ensuing trip down the court and Lewis Central had an opportunity to run the clock down for a final shot after taking a timeout. Instead, the Titans dribbled the ball toward the basket and Ram sophomore Danika Arnold came away a steal. Arnold passed the ball up the court to teammate Madison Camden who sent the Glenwood crowd into a frenzy when she converted the bucket. Camden was fouled on the play and knocked down the subsequent free throw to give the Rams a 58-55 lead with 31 seconds left on the clock.

Lewis Central cut the lead to 58-57 on another Larsen layup but allowed the Rams to bring the ball up the court and run valuable time off the clock. Hopp was finally fouled with 3.2 second left. She converted both free throws and then deflected the Titans’ long inbound pass to seal the victory.

The game was tightly contested from the onset, but Lewis Central was in the lead for most of the night. The Titans led 15-10 after the first quarter and 26-21 at halftime. A three-pointer by Anna Strohmeier from the left corner right before the buzzer sounded at the end of the third quarter pushed the Titans’ lead to six pints at 45-39. Lewis Central built on that lead by scoring the first four points of the final period before the Rams began mounting their dramatic comeback.

Hopp scored 15 of her game-high and career-high 32 points in the frame. She was also 8-for-8 at the line in the frame.

“She had a couple buckets and a big three,” he said. “She kind of took over. We wanted the ball in her hands, and she made it happen, whether it was her or if she was double-teamed, she trusted her teammates.”

Camden also finished the night in double figures with 12 points. Abby Hughes tallied eight points and Brynlee Arnold chipped in seven.

Lucy Scott and Larsen led Lewis Central with 18 and 13 points respectively. The Titans ended their season with a 12-11 record.

Glenwood 64,
Platte Valley, Mo. 49

Glenwood snapped Missouri Class 1 No. 1 ranked Platte Valley’s 52 game winning streak with a 64-49 victory Monday.

The Rams (17-4) used a 15-4 third quarter run to pull away from the Eagles.

Jenna Hopp and Abby Hughes scored 16 points each to lead four Rams in double-figures. Brynlee Arnold added 14 points and seven rebounds. Madison Camden chipped in 13.