In a back and forth thriller, the Highland Rams outlasted the Bonneville Lakers 72-60, in a must win region 5 showdown.

The Rams broke a two game losing streak tonight as they defeated the Lakers in a hard fought victory. With the adoption of a new full court press, there was an intense pace through out the first half. Both teams exchanged blows early on, however the Rams maintained a four-point advantage for the majority of the first and second quarters. While it appeared Highland would enter the locker room with the momentum following the first half, it was the Lakers who would finish the half on a high note. A technical foul was called after the buzzer sounded and Bonneville received two free throws and the ball to start the third quarter.

The Lakers carried that momentum throughout the third. Highland withstood their runs however, and there were several lead changes nearing the end of the quarter.

Led by Elijah Shelton who finished with an impressive 28 points, the Rams began to settle down in the fourth quarter and run their offense very effectively. Nearing the last three minutes Highland made one last push, and extended their lead to twelve with the help of some clutch shooting by Oscar Maxfield. In the end it was the stout defensive play and grit that earned the Rams that much needed victory.

With a 3-4 region record coming into tonight’s game it was do or die for the Rams if they wanted to make a playoff appearance. Aside from Woodscross who sits comfortably in first place in region five, it’s a dogfight for the remaining three playoff spots.

“Tonight was a must win for us,” senior and captain Charlie Gochnour said, “we had a good week of practice and came out ready to perform.”

Although the Rams have had their fair share of struggles on both sides of the ball, they hope to continue to play with the high intensity shown in tonight’s game. With only four games left until the state tournament Highland hopes to have solidified their playoff spot. Their next game will be Friday February 10^th at East high school in what will surely be another heated rivalry game.