Friday night the WACO Warriors entertained the Hillcrest Academy Ravens in a boy/girl Southeast Iowa Superconference basketball doubleheader. It was the Warriors that defended Bob Hilmer Court with a pair of wins. The girls contest went WACO’s way 48-42. Hillcrest led 7-6 after a defensively dominated first eight minutes. WACO found their offense in the second period, outscoring the Ravens 15-8 to take a 21-15 lead into the break. The Ravens turned the tables after intermission with an 18-10 third frame to take a 33-31 lead into the fourth. The Warriors closed strong, putting together a 17-9 run that lasted the entire final period to get the win. Emma Wagler led WACO with a monster double double 18 points and 15 rebounds. Brenna Graber chipped in 11 points and four assists. The Warriors pulled in 32 rebounds and swiped 19 steals as a team. WACO is now 8-8 on the year as the loss dropped Hillcrest to 4-13.

In the nightcap, the Warrior boys got the job done 64-53. Things were tight in the first half, the Warriors up 17-14 after one and 30-29 at half. Out of the locker room, WACO was able to pull away, winning the third period 15-9 and the fourth 19-15. The Warriors were red hot, shooting a sweltering 61% from the floor and 53% from downtown. They also beat the Ravens by eight on the glass and dished out 23 team assists. Colton Leichty led the charge with 17 points, Chase Waterhouse added 13 and Isaac Egli 10. Rowan Miller had a game high 20 points for the Ravens, Bryce Bailey scored 13 and Seth Ours 12. The win moved the Warriors to 10-4 on the year, while the Ravens fell to 11-6.