MOOSEHEART - There was a point on Tuesday when it looked like Leland-Earlville was going to blow out Mooseheart, though the thought ended as a fleeting one.

The host Ramblers weren't shooting well in their home opener at the Fieldhouse -- while Leland-Earlville was converting and the tempo of the game seemed to favor the visitors.

But a pair of switches flipped in the contest. The first was long-range shooting by Ethan Grasty and the second was the inside play of Munir Smith. Combined, the pair scored 33 points and the Ramblers defeated Leland-Earlville 51-46 and Mooseheart (2-3) won its second consecutive ballgame.

"One thing I really liked to see is that we're playing harder than we ever have," Mooseheart coach Ron Ahrens said. "We're going to man-to-man defense because that's what I think we need to do to keep improving. And I think we played pretty decent man-to-man."

Leland-Earlville jumped to a quick lead and Mooseheart only scored seven points in the first quarter. Six of those points came from a pair of Grasty three-pointers. Grasty had 15 points on five three-pointers by halftime and added a fourth quarter trey to finish with a game-high 18 points.

"We were getting blown out," Ahrens said. "He hit three three-pointers in a row and sparked the offense. And he didn't miss very many of them."

Smith warmed as the game progressed. After only scoring three points by halftime, Smith finished the game with 15 points. His six fourth quarter points were key as the Ramblers forged ahead after trailing most of the second half.

"We ran sets specifically to (Smith)," Ahrens said. "If we get him on the block and they have a guy on the block trying to defend him, most times, (Smith) is going to have a chance to score."

Damion Moore hit a three-pointer 30 seconds into the fourth quarter to tie the game 40-40. Brandon Moreno followed with a pair of free throws and Grasty hit his three-pointer with 2:33 left to put the Ramblers up 45-40.

The visitors briefly rallied, but Mooseheart held out for the win. The Ramblers host IMSA on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Leland-Earlville: Anderson 3 2-2 10, Tim Becker 3 4-7 10, Barnes 0 0-0 0, Heath 2 3-5 7, Collins 0 0-0 0, Trevor Becker 2 0-1 4, Kraft 0 0-0 0, Hall 3 4-4 10, Beck 0 0-0 0, Nordlund 1 0-0 2, Johnson 1 1-2 3. Totals 15 14-21 46.

Mooseheart: McReynolds 1 0-0 3, Kendor 0 0-3 0, Smith 7 1-6 15, Davy 0 0-0 0, Moreno 3 2-2 8, Moore 2 0-0 5, Grasty 6 0-2 18, Sallie 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 3-13 51

Leland-Earlville 12 10 14 10 - 46
Mooseheart         7 13 12 19 - 51

3-point goals: Anderson 2, McReynolds 1, Moore 1, Grasty 6. Technical foul: Johnson. Fouled out: None.