Boys Basketball Postseason Awards & Recap
RAVENS RUN THROUGH RIVAL LIONS IN OPENING ROUND MONDAY
Article credit: Zach Ulin/KCII
The Hillcrest Academy boys basketball team started the district tournament with a sprint past rival Lone Tree Monday on Dwight Gingerich Court at Hillcrest Union. The victory for the Ravens was the third over the Lions this season, this time by a 65-24 score. Hillcrest overwhelmed Lone Tree from the opening tip, starting the game on a 17-2 run that lasted the entire first quarter, and backing that up with a 23-8 second quarter push, parlayed into a 40-10 lead at half. The Ravens enacted the running clock with a 16-6 third quarter to secure the win. Read more HERE!
RAVEN DISTRICT DRIVE STOPPED IN SECOND ROUND
Article credit: Zach Ulin/KCII
The Hillcrest Academy Raven boys basketball team wrapped up their season on the road Thursday, falling to the Maquoketa Valley Wildcats 59-46 in the District Semifinal round of the Class 1A tournament. Maquoketa Valley seized early home court momentum, racing out to a 17-8 lead at the end of one that would force Hillcrest to play catch-up the rest of the night. The Ravens trailed 38-27 at intermission. Hillcrest won the third quarter 12-9 and made a late push, cutting the lead to five on multiple occasions but were unable to complete the comeback. Read more HERE!
RAVENS OURS AND MILLER AMONG 1A’S BEST STATISTICALLY
Article credit: Zach Ulin/KCII
Two Hillcrest Academy Raven boys stood out statistically in Class 1A this winter on the hard court.
Raven junior Seth Ours wrapped up a season that saw hm finish third in the state at 86% from the free throw line, knocking down 43 of 50 attempts at the stripe on the season. Arguably, the Hillcrest sharpshooter did his best work from downtown. Ours was fourth in 1A, shooting 49.3% from distance. That mark was best in 1A for those with at least 30 attempts and second in all of Iowa regardless of class for those who took at least 100 three’s. He went 69 of 140 from long range this season. His 69 makes are ninth most in 1A.
Raven guard Rowan Miller is one of the most efficient players in the state. The Hillcrest sophomore was third in assist to turnover ratio this season, posting 3.08 helpers for every giveaway.
The Ravens put together a 15-8 campaign.
FOUR RAVENS FLY TO ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Article credit: Zach Ulin/KCII
After a successful season, the Hillcrest Academy Raven boys basketball team has started to see the hardware fill up their trophy cases. Four Ravens were selected to All-Conference teams this week by the Southeast Iowa Superconference.
Raven junior Seth Ours was a first team All-Conference pick. The Hillcrest guard piled up a team leading 16 points per game, registering three assists, two steals and two boards per night. He was third in Class 1A at 86% from the free throw line, knocking down 43 of 50 attempts at the stripe on the season. The Hillcrest sharpshooter was impressive from downtown. Ours was fourth in 1A, shooting 49.3% from distance. He went 69 of 140 from long range this season. His 69 makes are most in the Superconference and ninth in 1A. Ours was third in the conference in total scoring at 370 points and his 70 assists were 10th in conference.
Sophomore guard Rowan Miller was a second team Superconference selection. He put up nine points per game with a team best five assists and just over two steals to go with three boards per night. Miller is one of the most efficient players in the state, finishing third in assist to turnover ratio this season in 1A, posting 3.08 helpers for every giveaway. He led the Superconference North Division with 114 total assists. Miller’s 51 steals were seventh most in the league. He was 42% from the three point line, third in conference play, and his 70% from the free throw line was sixth best in the Superconference.
Hillcrest had a pair of honorable mention choices in juniors Bryce Bailey and Mason Bender. Bailey posted nine points, four rebounds, one steal and an assist per night. Bailey’s 28 made three point shots are the eighth most in the Superconference this season. Bender averaged 10 points, a team best five rebounds, three assists and two steals per game. Bender’s 73 total assists this season were eighth in the conference, his 47 total steals were 10th. Bender shot 51.2% from the floor, eighth best in conference.
Another season of Iowa high school basketball is complete. Yet again, the Union area saw a ton of talent and produced a plethora of stellar matchups night in and night out. When all was said and done, the coverage area and Southeast Iowa were represented on the biggest stage once again. With that being said, the season’s close means it’s time for another list of All-Union Basketball.
This year’s list is dominated by upper classes, specifically a strong senior class. Six of the seven players on the 2024 list are seniors, the seventh being a junior. The lone junior on this year’s list is Seth Ours of Hillcrest Academy.
Ours has been an important piece to the Ravens success since joining the ranks as a freshman. This year was no different. He notched a team-high 16.1 points per game this year. He also totaled 3.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals.
He was also one of the top outside shooters in the league, knocking down the deep ball at a 49.3% clip.