Ravens get first win of the season

By Paul D. Bowker/The News

Esther Hughes and Leah Bontrager were sophomores the last time that Hillcrest Academy had scored a win in girls basketball.

More than 22 months had passed.

The winless streak ended last Saturday for the Ravens, and Hughes and Bontrager both had career nights in a 64-15 victory over Rivermont Collegiate.

Hughes scored 39 points on 80% shooting and Bontrager had 10 points.

The Ravens, who had lost their first six games this year after not playing at all last year because there weren’t enough girls to fill a team, had not won a game since February 4, 2020. A big deal? Oh, yes.

“Tonight, kind of getting that monkey off our back, getting that first win, it’s huge for the girls,” Hillcrest coach Mitch Drey said. “We’re confident in team basketball, this gives a lot of confidence.”

By: Zach Ulin

You could call it serendipity. One coach reaching a milestone 40 years in the making, another taking his first step down what could be a remarkable path of his own, and it happened in the same gym, on the same day, Saturday when the Hillcrest boys and girls basketball teams swept visiting Rivermont Collegiate.