Ravens Earn Season Sweep Over the Wolves on Senior Night

Hillcrest celebrated Senior Night with a convincing 57-30 win over Winfield-Mt. Union Tuesday to close out the conference season, giving the Ravens the season sweep over the Wolves and sole possession of third place in the SEISC North behind Pekin and Wapello. Hillcrest and W-MU entered the game vying for third, as both teams had five losses in conference play. The win moves Hillcrest to 10-5 in conference play, 12-6 overall.

The Ravens jumped out to a 16-2 lead and then exploded for 27 points in the second quarter to lead 43-14 at the break. Hillcrest dialed back the pressure and worked on some different things through the second half, as everyone got into the action. The Wolves were without leading scorer Cam Buffington and the Ravens played without guard Noah Miller.

Seniors John Hughes and Eli Ours paved the way for the Ravens, scoring 23 and 17 points respectively. Hughes was 11-15 from the floor and had six boards, and Ours buried three triples and picked up four assists and four steals. Aaron Hershberger had a team-high seven rebounds and four assists to go with four points and three steals. Luke Schrock provided a spark off the bench with seven points and four boards, Grant Bender scored four points, and Will Kolck added two points. Aiden Krabill dished for three assists.

Prior to the game, seniors including manager Yanitza Gutierrez Larios, pep band members Meredith Blossom, Madeline Fox, Sarah Miller, and players Aaron Hershberger, John Hughes, Will Kolck, Eli Ours, and Aidan Yoder were honored.

Coach Dwight Gingerich said, “We are very grateful for each of our seniors and the roles they have played in our basketball program. We really appreciate the support that our larger school community has given our students along the way. It was also great to see our seniors play well and get us off to a great start. The ball movement and defensive effort was really good at times, which aided the cause.”

Hillcrest next plays Burlington Notre Dame Friday at home in the SEISC Shootout. The game matches the number three teams from the North and South divisions. It is varsity only and tip-off will be at 6 p.m.

2020-21 saw three seniors on Pep Band, all of whom were on for just one year.

Meredith Blossom was a former basketball player and didn’t know how to play an instrument. She learned to play bass guitar, picking it up quite quickly, and impressed everyone with her skill playing the bass. Meredith plans on being an English major at a college yet to be determined.

This was Madeline Fox‘s first and only year as a student at Hillcrest. Her coming on board to play keyboard helped us shift some things around to have a fuller sound as a band. Her talent was very apparent from the beginning and she has certainly come through in a big way for the band. After graduation, Madeline plans to attend Faith Baptist College in Ankeny and major in missionary nursing.

Sarah Miller also joined Pep Band this year having played basketball the last 3 years. Sarah played guitar, both lead and rhythm and did a great job with filling out our sound. She is a great team player with a cooperative spirit and willingness to try new things. After graduating, Sarah plans to attend Goshen College in Indiana and major in music education.