Keota boys halt Hillcrest Academy's win streak at 10

KEOTA

For one long Saturday night in Keota, Hillcrest Academy’s season-starting 10-game winning streak crashed to a halt in a 59-44 loss.

The reasons were numbing.

The Ravens played their second game in less than 24 hours.

Gibson Scott, a sophomore who had scored 15 points the night before against Highland, fouled out in the fourth quarter after scoring just 4.

Angel Satulle Sambrano, a senior, was back in the lineup after missing a game. Lincoln Miller, another senior, “was not himself,” head coach Stephen Bender said.

And Keota’s Chase Haifley, a 10.1 points-per-game scorer with a .262 shooting percentage, hit for a season-high 20 points, including a homecourt logo 3-pointer as the shot clock was winding down at a key point in the final quarter.

“That was ridiculous,” Hillcrest junior forward Kale Bailey said.

The Ravens (10-1) trailed by just one point, 25-24, at halftime, but a strong shooting display by Keota’s Haifley and Porter Cave (15 points, 2 3-pointers) in the second half sent the Eagles (7-3) to their fourth consecutive win.

“Even despite all of that,” Bender said, “we had our chances. We missed a lot of layups that we’ve been making. It was a physical game. When you’re tired in back-to-back nights, some of those shots that you normally make, they just don’t quite fall.”

Hillcrest trailed by just four points, 39-35, early in the fourth quarter when Cave hit three straight shots for seven points, the last one resulting in a game-ending foul for Scott with 5:57 left and Keota up, 46-37.

More than two minutes later, Haifley’s long 3-pointer put the Eagles ahead, 49-41. Keota hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter alone.

“That is just lights out,” Bailey said. “They just had a night.”

The Ravens host Columbus (6-4) on Tuesday, then play Friday night at Winfield-Mt. Union (8-2) in a showdown for the Southeast Iowa Super Conference North title.

Hillcrest 72,

Highland 34

Hillcrest junior forward Kale Bailey scored a game-high 16 points, and Gibson Scott added 15 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in the Raven’s 72-34 win Friday against Highland.

Four Hillcrest starters reached double figures in scoring as the Ravens defeated the Huskies for the 12th straight time.

Lincoln Miller added 14 points for Hillcrest and Rowan Miller had 12 points and 6 assists.

Landon Roling led Highland (2-9) with 12 points. Jacob Schneider had a team-high 7 rebounds.

Hillcrest outscored Highland 26-7 in the opening quarter and cruised from there. The Ravens held Highland to two points in the fourth quarter. They won the rebounding battle, 33-23.

GAME STATS

KEOTA 59, HILLCREST 44

Hillcrest  17   7   10  10  -- 44

Keota      12  13  14  20  -- 59

Hillcrest scoring: Rowan Miller 18, Kale Bailey 11, Lincoln Miller 6, Gibson Scott 4, Angel Satulle Sambrano 3, Isaac Birky 2.

Keota scoring: Chase Haifley 20, Porter Cave 15, Jackson Vittetoe 14, Brennan McGuire 6, Blake Baker 4.