The Keota Eagles ended up on the wrong side of things in a pair of home basketball games Tuesday night against North Mahaska. The Keota girls hung tough and only trailed by a point at the end of the first quarter. But 12th-ranked North Mahaska used a 19-5 run to lead 26-11 at halftime and never looked back, claiming a 55-27 victory. The Eagles only hit a third of their shots and were paced in scoring by sophomore Grace Conger’s eight points as they fall to 4-5 in the South Iowa Cedar League and 4-9 overall.

The Keota boys raced out to a 25-13 lead after the opening period, but North Mahaska turned things around and took a 31-27 advantage into the half. The Eagles sliced the deficit to two going into the final quarter, but the Warhawks kept them at bay long enough to hold on for a 69-64 win. Junior Sawyer Stout hit four three-pointers and netted a game-high 21 points for the Eagles, while junior point guard Cole Kindred added 16 points and nine assists. Sophomore Billie Kindred finished with 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals, but Keota falls to 8-2 in conference play and 10-3 overall. While the Eagle girls face English Valleys this evening, the Keota boys will next battle Colfax-Mingo tomorrow.