Ravens fly past Huskies in basketball season opener

By Giovanni Coronel
Posted 12/12/24

RIVERSIDE

In a battle between   two teams residing in the same conference, Hillcrest and Highland opened up a brand-new basketball season with the Huskies serving as the host, but it was …

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Ravens fly past Huskies in basketball season opener

Posted

RIVERSIDE

In a battle between  two teams residing in the same conference, Hillcrest and Highland opened up a brand-new basketball season with the Huskies serving as the host, but it was the visiting Ravens who soared to victory.

Scoring 20 or more points in every quarter except for the fourth, the Ravens claimed a convincing 78-30 conference victory over Highland on Dec. 3. 

With the win the Ravens extended their winning streak over Highland to nine straight. The last time the Huskies defeated Hillcrest was in 2020.

The Raven’s offense clicked early and often, scoring 20 in the first and 21 in the second to head into the half with a 20-point lead over the Huskies.

The second half followed a similar script with Hillcrest putting another 20 points on the board in the third. Hillcrest’s defense also continued to be stout, holding the Huskies to just nine points in both the third and fourth quarter. In total Highland committed 29 turnovers.

Highland was led on offense by the trio of Logan McFarland, Bryce Hazelett, and Louis Horak who all scored a team high eight points.

Finishing the game just two-points shy of 80, the Ravens had four players score in the double digits. Sophomore Kale Bailey (16) was the leading scorer with the senior trio of Seth Ours (14), Bryce Bailey (13), and Mason Bender (13) all making a considerable impact on offense.

Bender was also the leading rebounder (7) and it was junior Rowan Miller who led the team in assists (6).

 

HILLCREST 78, HIGHLAND 39

Hillcrest  20    21   20   17 -- 78

Highland  10   11   9   9  -- 39

 

Hillcrest 80, Columbus 28

Keeping their foot on the proverbial gas pedal, the Ravens (2-0) followed up their 78-point performance against Highland with an 80 point performance at home against conference foe Columbus (1-2) on Dec. 6.

Giving their fans plenty to cheer about in their home opener, the Ravens raced to a 15-point lead after the first quarter which then exploded into a daunting 40 point lead at the half thanks to a 34 point second quarter.

While the Raven’s sword, their offense, was working wonders for the second game in a row, their shield was even more stout this time around as the Hillcrest defense limited the Wildcats to nine or less points in all four quarters.

A total of four Ravens entered double figures in points scored with senior Seth Ours leading the way. Ours did not miss, going 8/8 from the field and 1/1 at the free throw line to end with a team leading 18 points.

It was a double double for Mason Bender who scored 12 and pulled down 10 rebounds. The assist leader was once again Rowan Miller with six.

 

COLUMBUS 28, HILLCREST 80

Columbus 7     9    4    8 -- 28

Hillcrest   22   34   15   9  -- 80

 

Hillcrest 59, West Liberty 41

In a weekend non-conference clash, the Ravens (3-0) picked up a third connective victory when they went on the road and defeated West Liberty (1-1) on Dec. 7.

For the first time this season, the Ravens found themselves trailing after one quarter of play, but a strong second quarter cut their deficit to only two at the half.

Taking control of the game in the third and fourth quarters, the Hillcrest defense came alive to hold the Comets to a total of 11 second half points.

While the defense put the clamps on the Comets, the Hillcrest offense stayed consistent, putting up 12 or more points in every quarter to eventually take the win by 18. Through three games the Ravens are averaging 72.3 ppg and giving up 36 ppg.

Scoring a season high 26 points to lead all scorers was Hillcrest senior Seth Ours, who drained six three-pointers to go along with four rebounds, one assist, and one steal. For Kale Bailey it was a near perfect night from the field, going 6/7 to reach 15 points and the sophomore also grabbed a team high eight rebounds.

Up next for Hillcrest (3-0) is a road conference matchup against Wapello (0-3) on Dec. 13.

 

HILLCREST 59, WEST LIBERTY 41

Hillcrest        12   16   15  16 -- 59

West Liberty  19   11   5    6  -- 41