Despite a rocky start to the season, the RHS boys varsity basketball team has hit somewhat of a stride by winning four of their last six games on their way to a 7-10 record.

Coming off a season in which the Rams won the division title with a 15-7 record, success was supposed to become a habit. Despite this previous record, the team has been on its way to a one-way ticket to mediocrity after the first half of the season.

Recently, their performance has gripped the very halls of RHS as their four-game win streak from Jan. 23 to Feb. 3 reminded fans what RHS basketball is capable of. The streak included wins over Seneca Valley HS, Watkins Mill HS, Northwood HS and Wheaton HS.

“You can’t focus on the negatives if you want to win,” junior guard Matthew Marsteller said. “[You] gotta keep moving forward. And that’s what we did.”

The thrilling Jan. 23 58-57 win against the Screaming Eagles of Seneca Valley that kicked off the win streak generated a stir among the two schools for the impending Feb. 3 matchup.

In the first half of this contest, it was as if the Rams hadn’t showed up at all. They were dominated on both sides of the court, and were outscored by a whopping 20 points at halftime. At this point, the team needed a miracle to win this game.

Wiebusch put his all into the effort, and with help from junior Valentin Milloch and se nior Kellen Cremins, the Rams outscored the Eagles by 11 points in the third quarter, cutting their lead to nine points at 49-40. However, the comeback fell short, and time expired with Seneca Valley leading 59-53. Seneca’s Brandon Simpson finished with a double-double, with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Rebounding is a skill the Rams have worked on all season. “We are constantly talking about rebounds because we are not a very big team [physically],” coach Steve Watson said. “There’s always something that we have to focus on.”

This game represents the boys varsity bas ketball season eerily well: getting themselves into a deep hole early, flashing enough promise to keep the fans interested, then letting their foot off the gas and dropping in defeat. The matchup versus Watkins Mill reflected this to a T, with the Rams attaining a commanding lead at halftime, but failing to generate enough of fense to manage the win.

The prophetical drop has yet to occur, so fans are hoping the pattern ceases before disas ter strikes.

“An exciting run heading into the playoffs could electrify the entire school, and set the en tire gym ablaze come gametime,” junior Inferno member Adam Sarsony said.

The team’s next game is Friday at Magruder HS, and they look to capitalize off of the result of the Springbrook game. Four games remain in the regular season, and players refuse to deny a chance to make a postseason run.

“The season isn’t over yet. That’s all there is,” Cremins said.