MONROE — In the first meeting against Greene County, Prairie City-Monroe’s boys basketball team allowed 12 3-pointers and both Trey Tucker and Trey Hinote scored 26 points each.
In the second meeting Friday, PCM coach Fred Lorensen said the game plan was to hold Hinote in check.
Only one of the Treys went off this time around. Unfortunately, Lorensen didn’t plan on his team committing too many untimely turnovers, and those miscues plagued the Mustangs during the deciding second quarter.
PCM led by three after one quarter, but Greene County took advantage of the home team’s turnovers, took control of the game in the second quarter and then held off a late Mustang rally during a 70-65 win in Heart of Iowa Conference play.
“We turned the ball over two or three times in a row (in the second quarter), and that hurts you when the other team is as good offensively as Greene County is,” Lorensen said.
“They are going to make baskets. We just want to dribble and dribble and dribble. That just leads to turnovers. We need to pass it around better and make the defense work. That’s when we play well.”
Tucker, the HOIC’s leading scorer at 24 points per game, scored a game-high 31 points for the Rams, who locked up second place in the HOIC after the win. South Hamilton won the conference title following its win over North Polk on Friday.
The Mustangs held Hinote to 14 points. Wade Adcock chipped in 12 for the Rams.
“Our goal was to not let Hinote go for 26 again,” Lorensen said. “I don’t think it matters what you do against Tucker, he’s going to get his points. We wanted to take away one of them the best we could.”
Junior Jackson Thomas finished with 22 points, five rebounds and three assists for PCM. Sophomore Andrew Van Ryswyk chipped in 18 points, 12 rebounds and three assists.
Sophomore Reed Worth also scored in double-figures with 12 and had three assists and three rebounds.
The rest of the team had a total of 13 points, seven of which were scored by junior Elijah Sperfslage.
The Mustangs grabbed the lead late in the first quarter following buckets by Thomas and Sperfslage.
The Rams (14-6 overall, 13-3 in the HOIC) tied the game early in the second period and then Tucker got going. Greene County’s all-time leading scorer put in back-to-back buckets to put the Rams up 28-23.
That started a 12-0 run by the visitors. The Mustangs (10-11, 9-7) got the deficit to four at halftime.
Tucker began the second half with a pair of free throws, but PCM got within one following a bucket inside and a 3-pointer by Van Ryswyk. Tucker started and ended a 10-0 Greene County run with 3-pointers.
The Mustangs couldn’t get closer than seven until Van Ryswyk connected on a three-point play to get the deficit to 68-64 with 26 seconds to play.
Down five, PCM missed four straight shots inside the lane on its final possession.
“Even with the turnovers and some missed free throws, we were still right there within striking distance,” Lorensen said.
The lone-time Mustang coach said his team took too many quick shots, too.
“If you take a quick shot, you better make that sucker,” Lorensen said.
“We have guys who don’t have good percentages that are taking quick shots. If (Thomas) or (Van Ryswyk) takes a quick shot, you think well it might go in. But we have some guys who are struggling that are taking quick shots and when you do that and miss, no one is really in position to get a rebound.”
Tucker scored 10 of his 31 in the third quarter. Thomas had nine of his 22 in the third.
Each team hit 10 3-pointers. Tucker buried six from long range, while Thomas connected on six for PCM. Thomas also had five rebounds and three assists.
PCM begins Class 2A District 11 play against Collins-Maxwell/Baxter at 6:30 p.m. Monday in Pleasantville.
Greene County 18-17-19-16 — 70
Prairie City-Monroe 21-10-16-18 — 65
Greene County (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP) — Hinote 4/2-4-3-14, Tucker 11/6-3-0-31, Stoline 0-0-1-0, Skalla 1-0-5-2, Jacobsen 2/1-0-2-5, Hughes 3-0-2-6, Adcock 5/1-1-5-12. TOTALS: 26/10-8-18-70.
PCM (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP) — Sperfslage 2-3-4-7, Bruxvoort 1-2-3-4, Worth 3/2-4-3-12, Boell 0-0-0-0, Dredge 0-0-0-0, Thomas 8/2-0-2-22, Lanphier 0-0-0-0, Van Ryswyk 7/2-2-3-18, Brown 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 22/10-11-16-65.