A perfect senior night follows a certain script. Tuesday in Kalona the Hillcrest Ravens used that formula perfectly with a couple of blowout wins over Columbus. In a doubleheader heard on AM and FM KCII, the Hillcrest girls scored their first Superconference win of the season, taking down the Wildcats 45-30. Hillcrest sprinted out of the gate with a 20-5 run that lasted the entire first quarter. They outscored the Wildcats 11-4 in the second to take a 31-9 lead into the break. In the third quarter the Ravens put the game away by pitching a shutout defensively, ultimately holding the Wildcats without a point for the first nine minutes of the second half, while stretching the lead to 31 going to the fourth. In the final frame the Wildcats found their offense, scoring 21 points but it wasn’t enough. After the contest, head coach of the Ravens Kari Heusinkveld talked about the win. “We got stops and unlike in previous games we were able to secure it with a defensive rebound. Gutierrez and Hughes are a very dangerous guard combo.”
Esther Hughes led the Ravens with a career high 24 points. Yani Gutierrez added 19 points and 21 rebounds. Victoria Howell had a career high 11 for Columbus. With the win, the Ravens are now 2-17, the Wildcats fall to 1-18. The Ravens honored seniors Sarena Gerber, Danae McGaffey and Mia Graber.
In the boys game it was another running start for the Ravens that led to a 55-36 win. Hillcrest scored the games first 12 points and was up 25-6 after the first quarter and 37-17 at the half. The Ravens would stretch their lead to as many as 27 in the second half before the Wildcats got within 19 at the finish. After the game Hillcrest head coach Dwight Gingerich talked about his seniors. “Drew Blauvelt has become our glue guy on this year’s team. He has stepped into a bigger role this year. Kobe Borntrager is playing at a high level. He has been starting since he was a junior. Both kids are tough and bring a great level of intensity and leadership to our team.”
Eli Ours led the way for the Ravens with 22 points. Kobe Borntrager added 14. For the Wildcats Eric Valdez and Brody Frost each ended with eight. With the win the Ravens are now 9-8 on the year. Columbus falls to 1-7. Hillcrest honored seniors Kobe Borntrager and Drew Blauvelt before tip off.