MOOSEHEART, Ill. - Whatever trance Mooseheart's boys basketball team fell into in the second half of Monday's loss to Hinckley-Big Rock stuck with the Ramblers for a quarter of Tuesday's game with Joliet Ridgewood.
Fortunately for Ramblers fans, the team's internal alarm clock went off collectively in the second quarter and Mooseheart ended up taking a 67-49 decision from the Rams in the last game at Mooseheart Fieldhouse this season.
To claim victory, Mooseheart (13-6) first had to overcome a 14-5 deficit from the first quarter.
"We really struggled," Mooseheart coach Jeff Perales said. "I think they were in shock still. We missed a lot of pretty easy shots and weren't executing our offense very well.
The doldrums lasted early into the second quarter - but then the Ramblers caught fire. By halftime, they only trailed 27-24, and they caught the Rams at 30-30 early in the third quarter.
"Once we fixed those things and got in the right positions, things started to go well for us," Perales said.
Dennis Davis, who scored three of the Ramblers five first quarter points added five points in the second quarter. He never cooled off in the contest and finished with 15 points.
Mike Tovar, however, got hot in the second half after a three-point first half. The senior scored a game-high 17 points, with many coming from close range.
"We really talked at halftime about what we needed to do to execute and score," Perales said. "We wanted to get the ball down there. We knew that, if we could, we could break them down and get layups."
Floyd Mays, also playing his final home game, scored 16 points while playing solid point guard for the Ramblers.
The Ramblers scored 43 second-half points. Joliet Ridgewood, by contrast, only had 22 points after halftime and struggled not only with Mooseheart's enhanced offensive presence but a more aggressive defense as well.
Robby Lyons and Ahston Arthur led the Rams with 14 points apiece.
Mooseheart closes its regular season with a Friday game at Elgin Academy .
GAME STATS
| Joliet Ridgewood |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Snyder |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| |
Denny |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
| |
Lyons |
5 |
2 |
2 |
14 |
| |
Arthur |
3 |
6 |
7 |
14 |
| |
Menard |
4 |
1 |
2 |
10 |
| |
McCammack |
2 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
| |
Wherry |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
| |
Bysing |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
| |
Frazier |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| |
Totals |
16 |
10 |
15 |
49 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Mooseheart: |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Kendor |
3 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
| |
Smith |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| |
Davis |
6 |
2 |
3 |
15 |
| |
Morones |
3 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
| |
Tovar |
8 |
1 |
2 |
17 |
| |
Davy |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| |
Mays |
8 |
0 |
0 |
16 |
| |
Coleman |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| |
Martin |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
| |
Moore |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| |
Totals |
29 |
3 |
5 |
67 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Joliet Ridgewood |
14 |
13 |
14 |
8 |
49 |
| Mooseheart |
5 |
19 |
20 |
23 |
67 |
Joliet Ridgewood:
Lyons 2, Arthur 2, Menard 1, McCammack 1.
Mooseheart:
Kendor 2, Davis 1, Martin 1.
Joliet Ridgewood 6,
Mooseheart 15.
Fouled out: None.
| 
