Photos Courtesy of Hillcrest Academy Yearbook and Columbus Schools Social Media
A pair of Southeast Iowa Superconference rivals squared off for the first time in the new season Friday when the Columbus Wildcats entertained the Hillcrest Academy Ravens in a boys and girls hoops doubleheader. The opener went to the Wildcat girls 54-22. After a game opening bucket for Raven senior Niva Helmuth, Columbus scored the next dozen straight and ultimately led 16-6 after one and 25-10 at half. The Wildcats continued their control in the second half, putting together a 21-4 run that spanned the full third quarter to secure the win. Following the contest, Columbus Player of the Game Isabel Rendon joined the KCII postgame show live to talk about the win. “I’d say our biggest key is, taking away our reaching. Moving our feet on defense. Taking away our hands. That’s a change we made from the first few games of the year. I’m proud of how coachable we have been with that. Our defense really dictates how we play the game. Our practices are really competitive, we have 19 girls out and we battle every day. We are so passionate for this because of what past teams have left for us to carry on. We work on rebounding a lot in practice and it’s wired in our brains, one-and-done. It’s become a habit for us. I always bring the ball up. I get the defense moving and then see where my teammates are at to make a lot of things happen.”
The Wildcats had 29 steals, 10 assists, won turnovers 37-22 and rebounding by 22. Kennedy Woepking was one of three Wildcats in double figures with a game high 11 points. Iris Garza and Ellie Sanders both finished with 10. High mark for Hillcrest was Helmuth with seven points and nine rebounds. The Ravens are 2-2 after the loss while the win is the first of the year for Columbus who is 1-3.
The boys contest saw Hillcrest hold off a late Columbus charge for a 61-45 win. The Ravens started the game on a 7-0 run, holding Columbus without a field goal for the first six minutes, and were on top 15-9 after the first and 29-19 at half. Hillcrest would push their lead to as large as 14 before the Wildcats made a move late, getting back within seven with around five minutes left in the contest. The Ravens closed the game on an 11-2 run to seal the win. Following the contest, Raven of the Game Kale Bailey joined the KCII postgame show live to talk about the win. “The credit for my night on offense goes to my teammates. They kept looking in and I told them I was going to be there and that I was going to finish. They trusted me to do it. I think we just did it together tonight. We all reminded each other to stay together, keep our heads, stay calm and focus on the next play. Don’t focus on the past. Mind like a goldfish! Our pressure was good late. They kept tossing the ball away and our guards kept making plays with steals, huge credit to them. This win gives us experience for big games coming up.”
The Ravens won rebounding by eight and the turnover battle 20-19. Bailey finished with a game high 24 points, 17 of those in the first half. Lincoln and Rowan Miller combined on 28 points and 11 steals, both were key contributors in the game closing run. Ellis Hills-Carrier had a big night for Columbus with 18 points, a dozen of those in the second half. Djamar Exantus came off the bench for nine points for the Wildcats. Hillcrest is 2-0 after the win, the loss is the first this year for Columbus who is 2-1.