A 1A basketball Saturday showcase doubleheader featuring Keota and Hillcrest Academy saw the Eagles defend their home floor with a non-conference sweep. The Keota girls started the night with a running-clock win over the visiting Ravens 58-24. Keota took control early with a 22-1 first quarter run that left them on top 25-5 after the first eight minutes. The Eagles spent the third period on a 15-4 run that put the game out of reach. Following the contest, Eagle head coach Jeff Sprouse joined the KCII Postgame show to talk about the win for his team. “We got out and started quick. You can lose the game in the first quarter, but you’re not going to win it. Play good defense and get a couple of easy run-outs to get things started. We got it going downhill. We got after it defensively. The kids are buying into that side of the ball and when everybody’s working as one, we do a pretty good job. Elyse Lyle just played lights out defense on (Claire)Withrow. Karlee Greiner had her for a couple of possessions with three fouls and she did well. Jessalyn (Aller) was on her and so was Emily (Conger) and we did well to limit what she could do, and she’s a great player. That really set the tone for the rest of the game. (For us on offense), balance is key. When you have three, four, five make double figures and can score the ball, it makes you more difficult to defense. Dakota Dodd is coming off the bench and playing really well. Addison Miller also came in and played really well!”
Keota won turnovers 26-15 and rebounds 35-21. The Eagles were led by a 22 point day for Cameron Haifley, and a 14 point, 11 rebound double double for Jessalyn Aller. Hillcrest got 10 points from Niva Helmuth to lead. Keota stood at 9-3 after the win, while the Ravens dropped to 3-9.
The boys contest saw the Eagles snap the Raven’s 10-game-win-streak to start the year at 59-44. Hillcrest led 17-12 after the first eight minutes. Keota countered with a 13-7 second quarter run to take a slim 25-24 lead into the break. Things were still tight going to the fourth with Keota up 39-34. The Eagles exploded in the final frame for 20 points, with Keota finishing the game on a 12-2 run to close the door on Hillcrest. Eagle of the game Chase Haifley joined the KCII Postgame Show to talk about the win. “Our defensive intensity is what keeps us in these games. It’s what gets us going. We came out and played out man-to-man as hard as we could and good things happened. We’re used to games like this and these situations. We came out and knew we had to take care of business. Everyone knows I like to shoot the ball. Time was ticking down and it was a close game, so it came down to shooting it with confidence. It felt really good off the release and it was good to see that go in. We found our identity. Tonight we showed that and now we have to stick with it.”
Keota won turnovers 12-10 and rebounds 30-24. Haifley led the a trio of Eagles in double figures with 18 points, Jackson Vittetoe had 16 and Porter Cave 15. The Raven duo of Rowan Miller and Kale Bailey made it to double digits with 18 and 11 points respectively. Keota is now 7-3 on the year as Hillcrest falls to 10-1.