GHV boys climb to No. 6 in 2A ratings with wins over LM, N-P

A pair of impressive wins helped to lift the Garner-Hayfield-Ventura boys basketball team to number six in the Class 2A rankings released Monday by the Associated Press.

GHV 83, Lake Mills 54

Once the Cardinals (15-1, 12-0) got rolling they never stopped.  The GHV boys routed the Lake Mills Bulldogs (9-6, 6-6) to the tune of 83-54.

GHV came out shooting, jumping to an early 12-3 lead. But with the help of strong play down low, the Bulldogs of Lake Mills got a few extra possessions and made a run, coming within three of the Cardinals at 17-14. The GHV defense stepped up to squelch the run and stood tough to end the half at 44-23.

The second half was all GHV, as extra possessions and a high shooting percentage helped the Cards steadily build their lead ending in a final score of 83-54.

“Early on, Lake Mills hurt us off the dribble and hit some shots in the paint and kick out threes. Fortunately, we were able to knock down a bunch of shots from all over,” said GHV Head Coach Joe Albertson.

A relentless and consistent offensive attack allowed the entire 14-man GHV squad to not only play, but each player earned multiple positive statistics.

Leading the way for the Cardinals was Ryan Meyers with 16 points, five rebounds, four steals, three assists and a block. Nick Joynt was close behind with 15 points on seven of 11 shooting, eight rebounds and two assists.

Coming off the bench with a big game was Chase Theobald, whose 13-point, four-rebound and two-assist game was vital in keeping momentum going.

Other major contributors included Johnny O’Connor with 12 points, two rebounds and two assists; James Betz with seven points, four rebounds and two steals; and Holden Hutcheson with six points and five assists.

GHV’s shooting was closely matched throughout the game, going 48.5 to 42.9 percent from the field and 45.8 to 42.9 percent from the three. The Cards made the difference in rebounds (38-27) and ball handling (8-17 in turnovers and 14-5 in steals).

  “Anytime you can put up over 20 points a quarter, you know things are going pretty well,” said Albertson.

GHV 76, N-P 23

It got ugly fast for Nashua-Plainfield (5-11), as the Garner-Hayfield-Ventura Cards came onto their court and wreaked havoc en route to a 76-23 victory.

It took N-P nearly five-minutes to get on the scoreboard, as the Cards screamed to a 29-5 first period lead, ending the half 52-13. N-P only mustered two more points in the third period before GHV’s starters were taken out indefinitely.

The Cardinals had no problem getting to the rim all night, scoring 54 points in the paint and shooting 68 percent from the field – 78 percent in the first half. The ball was being shared well throughout the game as the Cardinals racked up 22 assists

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– 11 of which came in the first period.

This was the second game in a row that allowed significant playing time for the entire GHV roster.

“Even after the long trip and playing on back-to-back nights, the guys were aggressive and played well,” said GHV Head Coach Joe Albertson.  “Our offense was clicking, and we were forcing many turnovers on defense.”

Leading the Cards was Ryan Meyers with 16 points on 7/9 shooting, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. Nick Joynt added 13 points on perfect 6/6 shooting with three rebounds. James Betz added 12 points, five rebounds, two assists a steal and three blocks.

Holden Hutcheson also had 12 points, going 2/2 from the three while adding three assists and four steals. Johnny O’Connor rounded out the scoring with 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals.

“I like the pace we have been playing, but we will have to continue to work on improving our execution to win games down the stretch,” said Albertson.

The Cardinal boys stand alone in first place of the Top of Iowa Conference West Division. Trailing them is Forest City and West Hancock, both at a record of 9-3. Osage leads the East division with a record of 11-0.

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