Hillcrest Academy is moving on to the Class 1A Region 5 semifinals, knocking off the Keota Eagles 70-55 on Thursday.

The Ravens were looking to get their win back from the Eagles on Thursday. Keota defeated Hillcrest in a regular season contest, a game that broke Hillcrest’s undefeated streak to start the season. In front of an electric crowd, the two teams came out hot. The first quarter was a back and forth affair, with the lead swapping several times. A Chase Haifley three-pointer off the backboard gave the Eagles a 22-20 lead after the first.

In the second quarter, Hillcrest swapped from man-to-man to zone defense, a change that proved to be crucial. Keota was forced into several turnovers, turnovers that led to points in transition for the Ravens. A 20-10 second quarter allowed the Ravens to take a 40-32 lead into halftime.

Keota would never truly threaten Hillcrest again past the second quarter. The lead moved into double-digits early in the third quarter, and stayed there, with Hillcrest leading by as many as 17 en route to the 70-55 victory, the same margin of victory as Keota’s regular season win.

Head coach Stephen Bender says his Ravens knew what they needed to do to get a different result the second time around. “We knew that as good as a team as they are, the first time we played them, they were real physical with us and we didn’t handle that very well. Actually, in a couple of our losses that’s been our kind of issue. So we really worked on being tougher. We want to be tougher offensively and defensively.”

Gibson Scott led the Ravens with 23 points, while Kale Bailey added 17. Keota was led by Haifley’s 23. Hillcrest secures a 20-win season, improving to 20-4. Keota ends its season at 15-7. Next up for the Ravens is a date with 22-2 Calamus-Wheatland. The Warriors have scored 264 points in their last three games, and defeated Iowa Valley 74-25 in their quarterfinal on Thursday.