WAYLAND

WACO made sure the third time was not the charm for the Hillcrest girls, as the Warriors continued to find success against the Ravens with a 44-32 round one playoff win last Thursday. 

A postseason contest against SEISC rivals, the Warriors collected their 13 consecutive victories over the Ravens and in doing so they ended Hillcrest’s most successful season since 2018-19. 

"Waco is a tough team, they play smart and they don't beat themselves," coach Mitchell Drey said. "We knew coming into the game we had to play at our speed and make smart decisions and rebound the basketball, they clean up the glass really well."

It was in the third quarter where the Warriors, on their home court, were able to separate themselves from Hillcrest. WACO won the third by 10 to go into the final frame with a 15-point lead. 

What also helped WACO secure the win was their defense. The Warriors limited the Hillcrest offense to just single digits in every quarter except for the last one. As a team the Ravens committed 17 turnovers due to WACO’s defensive efforts.

The Ravens won the last quarter, but it wasn’t enough to erase their deficit and the curtains closed on their season. 

Freshman Brenna Graber was WACO’s top scorer in this postseason battle. Graber scored 15 while teammate senior Emma Wagler was not too far behind with 14 points of her own.

  It came as no surprise that leading the offensive charge for the Ravens against WACO was Claire Withrow and Malia Yoder.   

"Malia and Claire are huge for us. They are the force that drives our offense. They played big for us again," coach Drey said.

"They are a really good one, two punch. Malia gets down hill and attacks the hoop on drives and on the offensive glass. And Claire is one of the best deep threats in the state. They have shown how they can play together all year."     

 Withrow’s and Yoder’s combined score accounted for 26 of Hillcrest’s 32 points. This sophomore and junior duo have been Hillcrest’s offensive focal point all season long and this playoff game was no different.

 With no seniors on the roster Hillcrest will retain many if not all their players going into the next season. 

"The whole team comes back for next season. They work extremely hard in the off-seasons every year," coach Drey said. "This year the girls learned how to win games, it is not easy to beat anyone in the conference. This core group of girls do a great job of pushing each other. "

Going from a winless season last year to a six-win season this year the future looks to be on the up and up for Hillcrest girls basketball. 

GAME STATS

Hillcrest  7    7     7   11   -- 32

WACO      9   10   17   8   -- 44

Hillcrest scoring: Claire Withrow, 14, Malia Yoder, 12, Niva Helmuth, 3, Kylee Statler, 2, Lydia Beachy, 1.

Hillcrest leading rebounders: Helmuth, 8, Yoder, 6, Delaney Shaw, 5.