An all-KCII area battle Friday night saw the Hillcrest Academy boys basketball team put together a late comeback to beat the Winfield-Mt. Union Wolves 38-36. It was the Ravens that got out to the fast start, leading 12-5 at the end of one quarter and 22-16 at the break in the defensive slugfest. Out of the half, the Wolves dug in even more on the defensive end, using that effort to spur a 14-2 run that spanned the entire third quarter, holding a 30-24 lead going to the fourth. WMU was still up seven with four minutes remaining before the Ravens turned it on late to take the win. Hillcrest got big free throws down the stretch from John Hughes, who was four of four at the line in the final minutes and a jumper from Eli Ours in the last 20 seconds to give them the lead for good. Hillcrest Raven head coach Dwight Gingerich talked about his team’s play in the important minutes down the stretch. “It was a dramatic finish. We were down seven and able to come back. We got to the rim late
The Hillcrest Academy boys basketball team travels to Winfield-Mt. Union tonight to battle the Wolves in Southeast Iowa Superconference play. The Ravens come into the game at 4-4 on the year, climbing back to .500 on Tuesday with a 65-31 win over rival Lone Tree, in which Grant Bender scored a career high 18 points. On the season, the Ravens are led by Eli Ours at 15 points, three assists and three steals per game. John Hughes leads Hillcrest at five rebounds per game.
Winfield-Mt. Union is 4-2 on the season after a 62-33 road win at Columbus Tuesday where Cam Buffington led the Wolves with 24 points. On the season WMU is paced by Buffington at 21 points per game. He and Abram Edwards each pull down nine boards per game. Edwards averages three assists and four blocks per game to lead the team. These two schools met twice a season ago with the Ravens winning 59-45 in Kalona and 59-44 in Winfield. Action starts tonight at 6p.m.
An area boys’ basketball matchup took place at Hillcrest Union on Tuesday night and the home Ravens enjoyed a lopsided affair against Lone Tree winning 65-31.
From start to finish, the Ravens had a stranglehold on this one by jumping out to a 16-7 lead after one and 33-13 at the break. The only double-digit Lion quarter came in the third with 12 points, but the Ravens never took their foot off the gas offensively and ran away with the 34-point victory. Sophomore Grant Bender registered a career-high 18 points to lead a Hillcrest Academy team that had three players in double figures. John Hughes had 16 points and Eli Ours added 15.
The Hillcrest Academy boys basketball team opens up the second half of their schedule today when they host the Morningstar Mustangs in a non-conference matchup at Dwight Gingerich Court in Kalona. The Ravens come into the afternoon with an overall record of 2-4. Last time out they fell to Pekin on alumni night in Kalona 61-33, giving up 28 straight points to the Panthers. Eli Ours led the way for the Ravens in the loss, scoring 21 points, including five three point goals. For the season, Ours is scoring a team best 15 points per contest. He also leads the team at three and a half steals and three assists per outing. John Hughes leads the Ravens on the glass with 4.3 rebounds per contest.
The Pekin Panthers spoiled the virtual alumni night celebration for Hillcrest Academy Friday in Kalona with a boys basketball win over the Ravens 61-33. In a game heard on AM and FM KCII, Pekin put together three different runs over the course of the contest to control action from start to finish. In the first quarter a 7-0 burst put the Panthers up 17-6 midway through the frame before Hillcrest pulled within 20-16 early in the second quarter. The Panthers would close the first half on a 10-0 run to take a 30-19 lead into the locker room. Out of the half, Aaron Hershberger knocked down a pair of free throws for Hillcrest to bring the Pekin lead back to single digits at 30-21. From there Pekin, blitzed the Ravens for 28 consecutive points, enacting the continuous clock and hold Hillcrest scoreless for the next 13 minutes en route to the win. After the game, Hillcrest head coach Dwight Gingerich talked about his team’s night. “We were taking the ball better after some early turnove