Sometimes a number if merely that, with no special significance. However, for the Greene County girls’ basketball program, the number 40 seems to hold the key to victories. Coach Dean Lyons team is 2-7 overall and 2-4 in Heart of Iowa Activities Conference play. In the two victories over South Hamilton (Jewell) and CMB (Maxwell), the Rams scored 42 and 41 points. In the seven losses, the girls averaged just 20 points per contest.

The team is averaging 24.9 points per game and Coach Lyons told Raccoon Valley Radio he and his players are welcoming the Winter break and won’t practice until Dec. 30. His team has battled injuries and illness and he sees the break as a time to heal up, as well as step away from the game for a little while.

The next game for Greene County is in the middle school gym in Jefferson on Tuesday, Jan. 5 vs. Saydel (Des Moines). The Eagles are 1-5 in the conference and 1-7 overall, and after a season opening victory, have lost seven games in a row. The Rams are on a five game skid.