A pair of KCII area schools and old Southeast Iowa Superconference rivals met up on the hard court at Hillcrest Union Tuesday night when the Hillcrest Academy Ravens welcomed the Highland Huskies to Dwight Gingerich Court. The Highland girls controlled the opener, cruising to a 49-16 win. Runs at the start of each half gave the Huskies a huge momentum boost, including 10-2 to start the game and 13-2 to begin the third quarter. Highland led 6-2 after the first 19-8 at half and 32-10 going to the fourth. The Huskies dealt with adversity in the form of foul trouble as key players Emma Soukup and Abbi Stransky picked up three fouls in the first half. Highland overcame that with a trio getting to double figures, led by 12 points from Sarah Burton and 10 each from Jessica Kraus and Dani Laughlin. Highland outrebounded the Ravens by 14, forced 21 turnovers and held Hillcrest to just four made field goals and 11% shooting. In the postgame, Highland head coach Jodi Fink talked about his team and the Washington County Hospital and Clinics players of the game Kraus and Burton. “I was really happy with our defense, we did a great job on Esther Hughes, holding her to half of her season average. For us to get going offensively we have to get our paint touches and Jessica Kraus did that with some offensive rebounds, so did Sarah Burton and Dani Laughlin was able to knock down some threes. We were able to handle the foul trouble adversity.”

Hillcrest was led by eight points from Esther Hughes and six for Malia Yoder. Highland goes into Christmas break over .500 at 4-3 while Hillcrest falls to 1-8.

On a night that included the official celebration of head coach Dwight Gingerich’s 700th win that occurred on December 11th, the visitors from Highland made the home team sweat, with the Ravens posting a 47-40 victory over the winless Huskies. The Dogs started the game on an 8-2 run on a pair of baskets each from Chase Schultz and Connor Grinstead. Schultz picked up his second foul in the first quarter and had to sit the rest of the half and Hillcrest took advantage, going on a 10-2 run in the first quarter to take a lead they would not give up the rest of the night. The Ravens extended it going into half, outscoring the Huskies 9-3 in the second to hold a 23-14 lead. Highland came out firing again after break, getting as close as 31-29. With the lead tenuous Raven freshman Seth Ours knocked down a pair of dagger threes early in the fourth to extend the lead and junior Grant Bender went five of six at the line to salt the game away. Bender led Hillcrest with 24 points and Ours had 16. Schultz had 12 for Highland. Hillcrest has now won six in a row and enter Christmas break at 6-1. Highland remains winless at 0-6.