Sylvania Rams Bounce Back
By: Will Jacobs
Last week, the Sylvania Rams faced off against the Geraldine Bulldogs in the Dekalb County Tournament. Both teams got off to a slow start, and by the end of the first quarter, the game was tied 14-14.
The second quarter came, and Sylvania started to struggle on both offense and defense. The Rams could not get a shot to fall, and they failed to pull critical rebounds that would give Geraldine second and third chance opportunities to score. At the end of the second quarter, the Rams trailed 35-26.
With the start of the third quarter, Sylvania looked to correct their mistakes from the first half. Defensively, they stepped it up by pulling rebounds and closing out on shooters. On offense however, they struggled to get shots to fall. Shots that came from open looks failed to go in, and they failed to get many offensive rebounds for second chance shots. At the end of the third quarter, Geraldine led 59-38.
By the fourth quarter, Sylvania was trying to cut into the Bulldogs’ lead. Geraldine was looking to extend their lead even further. The Rams began to hit some shots, but at this point in the game, the shots came too late. Geraldine would hold on to defeat Sylvania 74-54.
Grant Atchley was the key player for the Rams by scoring 24 points and grabbing 7 rebounds.
On Monday night, Sylvania hosted the New Hope Indians. This game was a make-up game that was scheduled for earlier in the season, but due to the Rams’ success in football, this game was forced to be rescheduled.
Sylvania had a good start to the first quarter. They moved the ball around the perimeter and took advantage of any mismatches that they saw. At the end of the first quarter, Sylvania led 20-11.
When the second quarter rolled around, the Rams stepped up on defense. They forced the Indians to take several bad shots and pulled rebounds that led to baskets on the other end of the floor. The Rams only gave up 3 points in this quarter, and at halftime they led 30-14.
Sylvania was looking to keep up the momentum in the third quarter. They continued to work hard on defense and were patient on offense to get good looks at the rim, or good shots from outside the three-point line. At the end of the third quarter, the Rams led 39-21.
As fourth quarter began, and Sylvania was looking to seal the deal. They moved the ball on offense and made the Indians work on defense. Defensively, the Rams continued to force New Hope to take bad shots, and Sylvania continued to get rebounds. Time ran out, and the Rams defeated the Indians 54-33.
Key players for the Rams were Austin Traffanstedt, Jarred Higgins, Grant Atchley, and Josh Tinker. Traffanstedt led the team in scoring with 11 points and 2 rebounds. Higgins led the team in total rebounds by grabbing 10, while Atchley scored 5 points and 7 rebounds. Tinker had 4 points and with 7 rebounds.