Hillcrest girls basketball score season opening win

**Junior Claire Withrow** Photo Credit: Hillcrest Academy Yearbook Staff

Article by Giovanni Coronel/The News

On opening night, the Ravens had a chance to put to bed a long-standing losing streak in front of their home crowd and they did just that.

After recording no wins a year prior Hillcrest began a brand new season with a 47-35 victory over the Moravia Mohawks on Nov. 17, their first win since 2021.

“It was great to give the crowd something that they could cheer for,” Hillcrest coach Mitchell Drey said. “It was great for our girls to hear the crowd cheering for them, which was nice to have.”

This game began with a slow start for both teams, Hillcrest only scored three field goals in the first quarter while Moravia only scored two field goals in the second quarter, but it was the Mohawks who went into halftime with a six-point lead.

“You always get five to nine minutes of not the best basketball,” coach Drey said about the season openers in general. “And I think in the first half Moravia forced us to play not the best basketball. They’re a really good team. We had a second in the halftime to kind of catch our breath and calm down.”

Coming out of halftime Hillcrest went on a 9-5 run to pull within two, leading to a steal and score by junior Delaney Shaw to tie the game.

Following up Shaw, who led the team with 15 rebounds, fellow junior Malia Yoder hit a two-pointer to give the Ravens their second lead of the game, 24-22, a lead they never let go of.

“In this game, they showed the amount of work, the extra hours they’ve done getting in the gym,” coach Drey said about his team. “A very physical game. Last year, the girls might not have been able to handle that physicality. This year they stepped up. They rose to the occasion. It was really cool to see.”

Outscoring Moravia 19-11 in the third quarter, the Ravens entered the final frame with a two-point lead.