Matinee basketball Saturday went the Eagles way as they swept a boy/girl non-conference road doubleheader at Hillcrest Academy. The Keota girls were a 44-24 winner. The Eagles controlled action in the first half, winning the opening frame 11-4 and the second 10-4 to build a 21-8 halftime advantage. Keota finished the win with a 12-6 run in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles were led by a 24 point night from Macie McDonald that included six three point goals. Nicole Clarahan had nine points. Malia Yoder’s 12 points paced Hillcrest. With the win, the Eagles are 5-10 as the Ravens fall to 0-14.

On paper, the boys game showed potential for offensive fireworks, but the Keota defense clamped down after half to score a 60-40 road victory. The Eagles were on top 15-13 after one quarter and the contest was tied at 27 at break. Out of the locker room the Eagles went box and one on the Ravens and Grant Bender and Hillcrest had no answers. Keota outscored Hillcrest 15-5 in the third and 18-8 in the fourth to pull away for the win. After the game, Keota head coach Dan Stout joined the KCII Postgame Show to talk about his keys. “We went to a box and one with Aidan Anderson and Dalton Dodd. I thought the other guys did a great job of recognizing where their three point shooters were. I thought (Sawyer Stout) did a great job of being aggressive going to the basket early. Then that opens up his three point shot. We were able to get a couple of dishes off to our big guys for some baskets. Billie (Kindred) is getting those rebounds, Evan (Vittetoe) can get down to the offensive end and try to get some baskets down there. Kindred does a great job of just knowing where the ball is when it’s coming off the rim.”

The Eagles shot nearly 50% on the day and had 16 assists. Keota put three in double figures led by Sawyer Stout’s 21 points. Evan Vittetoe had 16, Cole Kindred 14 and Billie Kindred added 12 boards. Hillcrest had 15 offensive rebounds, but shot just 29%. The Ravens were led by Grant Bender’s 18 point 10 board double double. Keota improves to 12-3 this year while Hillcrest is now 7-6.