With the boys basketball season set to begin in earnest after Thanksgiving, a pair of area schools are getting together for one last tune-up. Wednesday afternoon, the Hillcrest Academy Ravens will visit Washington at the Demon Den for a scrimmage. Hillcrest was in action Monday at their home jamboree where they faced off with defending class 1A state champion Montezuma and fell in one half of basketball 34-19. Grant Bender led the way for the Ravens with 11 points earlier this week. Hillcrest was 13-8 last season, 10-5, third place in the Southeast Iowa Superconference. They scored 48 points per game and gave up 41. They shot 42% from the floor, 30% from beyond the arc and 59% from the line. They pulled in 25 rebounds, dished out 12 assists, collected 10 steals and committed 14 turnovers per game. The Ravens will need to replace their top two scorers from last year in 1,000 career point scorer Eli Ours at 16 per game and man in the  middle John Hughes at 11 per contest. Hughes also led the team on the glass with five boards per contest. Ours was the floor game leader with four assists and three steals per night, he places in the top 10 in Hillcrest history in points, steals and assists. The Ravens will look to returners Grant Bender and Noah Miller to fill those roles. Last season, Bender averaged six points per game with two rebounds, two assists and two steals while Miller put up five points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals as a junior.

The Washington Demons are coming off of a year that saw them defend their Southeast Conference crown with a 7-3 mark in league play and 15-7 overall record. They scored 60 a night, giving up 54, shot 44% as a team from the floor, 35% from long range and 68% at the line. The Demons averaged 33 rebounds, 13 assists, seven steals and 15 turnovers per night. Washington returns their top two scorers from last year’s team with Ethan Patterson averaging 16 per game as a sophomore and Kasen Bailey 14 as a junior. Bailey also led the Demons with four assists each game. Lance Sobaski is also back after seven rebounds per game last year, tied with Trashaun Willis for the team lead last season. The Ravens and Demons will share the court at Washington High School Wednesday afternoon.