The JV Lady Rams set the stage for a double win in Changnon Gymnasium with a 45-38 victory against the Althoff Crusaders on Monday night, however, the varsity team did not experience the same fate.

The game started off rough with 12 fouls within the first quarter, 5 of which were committed by the home team. The first foul resulted in Nici Rudd, ‘19 racking up the first 2 points for the Rams with a pair of free throws. However, these points were quickly counteracted by a 3 from Althoff, a pattern that would continue throughout the rest of the game.

The Rams kept pace with the Crusaders throughout the beginning of the game, with 5 points scored by Annibelle Harrison, ‘20, 4 from Brooklyn Kelley, ‘20, and a free throw by Bria Moore, ‘20. By the end of the first quarter the home team was closely trailing behind their opponent by 3 points.  

Quarter two kicked off with 2 points for the Rams, and 1 for the Crusaders shortly followed. Another 2 was added to the Rams side of the scoreboard by Rudd, and was followed by 2 for Althoff. Just as spectators began to think this would become a continuous close pattern, the Crusaders scored 7 more, bringing the totals to MV 17- Althoff 25.

The Rams gave their best efforts to keep up, scoring 7 more points of their own, but Althoff continued to pull ahead, adding 9 more to their score and giving them a 10 point lead over MV come half time.

This early advantage forestalled a Rams victory, as the second half of the game was fairly matched. For seemingly every point the Crusaders scored, the Rams answered back with one of their own. Yet despite MV’s efforts, they could not bridge the gap between the numbers on the scoreboard and were defeated by Althoff with a final score of 53-68.

The Lady Rams will continue their season with their upcoming game at Carbondale on January 10. Tip-off at CHHS is scheduled for 6:15 PM.