Rams defeat West High Panthers in a ‘roaring’ standoff

A rough start for Highland’s boys’ varsity team ended in a victorious celebration. Captains Ryan Lambson, Rick Schmidt and Brevin Elsholz led the team to victory Tuesday night, December 8^th, at West as the Rams secured another preseason win, 62-59.

They were fortunate to stay within striking distance in first three quarters of the game as the Panthers outmuscled the Rams, but Highland managed to get enough plays, in just the right amount of time, to establish the win.

“It was a team effort,” sophomore Elijah Shelton said. “We had a little trouble reevaluating the boards in the first half, but after that, we picked up our game to finish off the second half with a win.”

Offensively, Highland thrived. Layups by Lambson definitely contributed their win on Tuesday night. Other key moments of the game included three-point shots made by 60% of the team, incredible give-and-go plays, and of course Schmidt’s legendary slam dunk.

Weakness is a factor in every great victory. What went wrong? What could’ve been done better? Highland’s defense lacked some critical points during Tuesdays’ varsity game.

“Turn-overs and staying tight together as a group hurt the team the most in the first half,” senior Ryan Lambson said. “Positive encouragement was needed, and less criticism toward one another.”

All three varsity captains, Elsholz, Schmidt and Lambson encouraged their team to play hard with enthusiasm and hard work. A choppy three quarters ended in a great finale for the Rams.

“We didn’t play well for three and a half quarters,” head coach Jim Boyce said, “but we made enough good, smart plays to win the game.”

Boyce’s words of wisdom seemed to encourage the Rams to defeat the Panthers. They will look to continue their winning streak when they take on the Skyline Eagles at Highland this Friday, December 11th.