KALONA

Tournament time is finally here, and the Lions hoped to change their fortune against SEISC foe Hillcrest, losing the last seven contests against the Ravens, but it was not meant to be.

In the first round of the Class 1A boys district basketball tournament the Ravens, on their home court, defeated the Lions, 65-24, on Feb. 12. 

Hillcrest began this game by playing tough defense, limiting Lone Tree to just two points in the first quarter. 

“I thought from the get-go our defensive intensity was where we wanted it to be,” Hillcrest coach Dwight Gingerich said after the game. 

“These third games, against teams where you’ve defeated them twice can be tricky. So, it felt it was going to be really important that we could get out to a good start, and then just keep the momentum up and I felt like our guys did a good job of that.”

The Raven’s defense shined in the first quarter, but it was their offense that took the spotlight in the second frame, scoring a quarter high 23 points to go into the half with a 30-point advantage.  

“Fortunately, some shots fell for us early and we got up to that 17-2 first quarter lead,” coach Gingerich said. “We were able to build on that in the second quarter to get to a 40-10 halftime lead, which honestly surprised me a little bit. But we were obviously happy to be in that position.” 

Similar to the first half, the Lions were unable to find a rhythm on offense in the third and fourth quarters. Getting outscored once again in the third, Lone Tree went into the final frame facing a 40-point deficit. 

Going into this game Hillcrest knew they had to focus defensively on Lone Tree’s leading scorer on the season, sophomore Emmett Burke and they did just that, holding Burke scoreless for the entire game. 

Lone Tree sophomore Domonic Garcia was the Lion’s leading scorer with a team high 10 points. 

Lone Tree’s season ends with a 6-16 record, and they will say goodbye to six seniors: Ethan Bockelman, Jader Sanchez, Dominic Graap, Pietro Setti, and William Rockafellow. 

Leading Hillcrest with a team high 16 points was Bryce Bailey. Junior Seth Ours added 14 points while sophomore Rowan Miller also reached double figures with 11 points.  

Up next for Hillcrest (15-7) is a round two road playoff matchup against Maquoketa Valley (18-4) on Feb. 15

“They’re obviously very good,” coach Gingerich said about Maquoketa Valley. “They defeated a ranked 2A team and they’ve played North Linn twice. They’re good. It’s going to be a great challenge for us. Great opportunity for us. Looking forward to it.”