Photo Courtesy of Hillcrest Academy Yearbook

A split second decided the outcome Saturday in a non-conference boys basketball contest for the Hillcrest Academy Ravens as they fell to the West Liberty Comets at Hillcrest Union 52-50. Things were tied at 15 through one quarter, but a 13-0 run for the Comets, that included a six minute Raven drought from the floor gave West Liberty a 29-23 advantage at half. The two squads played even up in the third, each posting 11 points. West Liberty led by seven with just under two minutes remaining as the Ravens started a furious comeback that saw them trail by just one with under 30 seconds left. After the Comets split a pair of free throws, Hillcrest had the ball, down two, with eight seconds on the clock. The final play featured a drive down the lane, that saw the ball jarred free by a Comet defender, into the hands of freshman Kale Bailey who calmly drilled a 16-footer to send Hillcrest Union into momentarily delirium before it was ruled the shot came after the horn sounded. Following the game, Raven head coach Dwight Gingerich talked about his team’s play and the factors that decided the contest. Gingerich said, “(In the second quarter) We got a little tentative against their zone. They had us spread out. We weren’t in attack mode the way we needed to be. Our kids really hung in there and fought and battled right back. If we get a half a second more, that shot counts. What a shot by Kale (Bailey) to knock that down. Seth (Ours) is shooting the ball well. Rowan (Miller) did a great job penetrating, he had seven assists and that doesn’t surprise me. He’s been great doing that for us. Bryce Bailey did a lot of good things for us tonight too. Kale Bailey is a freshman and he’s getting better all the time. Lincoln Miller came in tonight and hit a shot at a key time too.”

West Liberty won the turnover battle 18-14, the Ravens won the glass by seven. The Comets put a trio in double figures led by 17 points for Jayce McHugh, 14 for Seth Axsom and 11 for Ryker Dengler. Seth Ours lit up the board for Hillcrest with 26 points, including a career high seven three point goals. The loss drops the Ravens to 9-4 on the year as they prepare for a trip to Highland Thursday.