Starmount sprinted out to a big lead, and the Huskies were never able to complete the comeback, giving the Rams a 73-66 victory.

Dylan Carter started the game with two layups for the Huskies, but that was the biggest lead Ashe would have all night. The Rams answered those two layups with 15 straight points. Ashe closed the quarter with a basket from Matt Nichols and two free throws from Greyson Wells, but still trailed by 9 after the first quarter.

The second quarter started off much of the same for the Huskies, getting outscored 11-2 and falling behind 28-10. M.J. Bryant tallied 13 points in the first half for the Rams, and Jake Barr chipped in with 10 as the Rams continued to expand the lead.

Josh Faircloth scored 4 points, Wells hit a long three-ball, and Darren Green and Jeren Holman each hit two free throws in the second quarter. The offense continued to struggle with missed shots and turnovers. Starmount held a commanding 39-19 lead at the halftime break.

Both teams started the third quarter with plenty of offense. Bryson Payne finally cracked the scorebooks with a layup for Ashe. Nichols continued his stellar performance with 7 points in the quarter. Unfortunately for the Huskies, the Ram offense continued to pile on the points. The Rams maintained a 19-point lead going to the final quarter of action.

Ashe would begin the comeback in the fourth quarter with better shooting and a smothering full-court press defense. Wells scored 8 and Payne chipped in with 6 in the first 4 minutes of the quarter to cut the lead to 62-52.

Following a layup from Barr, Wells buried another long three-pointer and Holman hit a layup to trim the deficit to 7. Starmount followed that with 4 quick points of their own to push the lead back to 11.

The Huskies would fight back with a three-point play from Nichols, and a three-pointer and two free throws for Wells. Ashe had cut the lead down to 3 at 68-65.

Three points would be closest Ashe could ever come as the Rams hit five free throws down the stretch to ice the victory.

Wells led the way for Ashe with 25 points. Nichols finished with 12 points all off the bench for the Huskies. Payne was held in check for most of the night and scored just 10 points. Holman added 6 and Carter chipped in 5 before leaving the game with an injury.

Barr topped the scorebooks with 21 points, and Bryant followed closely with 16 points for the Rams.

The Huskies will look to get back on track Tuesday as they host the struggling East Wilkes Cardinals.