JEWELL – The South Hamilton girls’ basketball team dug a 20-point hole and jumped right in it against Heart of Iowa Conference rival Greene County Tuesday night.

The Hawks eventually settled down, but the deficit was simply too large, as the Rams escaped with a 41-32 victory.

“We played a lot more inspired after the first half,” South Hamilton head coach Tony Woodall said after his club outscored the Rams 21-19 over the final 16 minutes. “Our defensive intensity really picked up in the second quarter. We just need to keep it up for four quarters.”

Greene County (2-2, 2-1 HOIC) led 13-2 after one quarter and its lead ballooned to 22-2 before the Hawks began their comeback.

Diana Garcia cashed in on a pair of 3-pointers and led the Hawks (0-4, 0-3 HOIC) with 11 points and four steals. Sidney Friest, just a freshman, had a big outing with seven points and 14 rebounds. Anna Moss added four points and three steals.

Laurin Lyons paced the Rams with 14 points.

The two teams combined to make just 18 of 50 free throws.