A win was what the PCM Mustangs boys’ basketball team needed when they traveled to Story City to take on the Norsemen, Jan. 19. Roland-Story was sitting at 10-3 overall, but one of their previous losses was to PCM. This time around, though different circumstances, the same result. The Mustangs took a victory, winning 67-55.
The game couldn’t have started any better for the Mustangs. Junior Luke Greiner was scoring, and the team was out-rebounding the Norsemen. This led to a 14-7 lead after the first quarter. The game evened out, though, and after the third quarter, the score was 45-41. The Mustangs’ exploded in the fourth, scoring 22 points in the quarter, sealing the game.
Greiner had a double-double with 16 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. Senior Logan Gilman added 21 points and eight rebounds. Gilman is averaging just over 21 points on the season. Freshman Andrew Van Ryswyk added 12 points in just his third varsity start, including three 3-pointers.
“We defended the three well,” Gilman said. “We kept them from getting comfortable at the three-point line, and we rebounded the ball well. Greiner gave us a big lift with all of his boards. It was a big win for us. It’s always nice to get a conference win on the road.”
In order for the team to achieve their goal of winning the Heart of Iowa Conference championship, the team will basically have to win the rest of their conference games. They started off the second round of games against the conference teams right with two wins. This one against the Norsemen, and a 67-51 victory over the South Hamilton Hawks on Jan. 15.
The next game, as of press time, is this Friday, Jan. 29, at North Polk. The Mustangs will look to avenge their first loss to the Comets.