In her first game as the head coach of Sigourney girls basketball, Kaylee Weber coached her team to an early season victory over the Hillcrest Academy Ravens by a final of 64-28. Sigourney started the night strong with 12 early points from freshman Brynn Clarahan en route to a 20-point first quarter. The defense was tough early too, as the Ravens could only muster four points in the opening frame thanks to Lydia Beachy and Niva Helmuth. Looking to cut into the deficit, the Ravens tried to use Ruth Witthoft’s shot clock-beating three-pointer as a spark in the second quarter. However, the Savages were busy on the boards with Josephine Moore among others gaining offensive rebounds, limiting Hillcrest’s chances. Sigourney padded on six points to their lead before halftime to take a 37-15 advantage into the second half. The final 16 minutes were more of the same, as the Savages outscored the Ravens by 14 points total in quarters three and four to end the contest at 64-28.

Unofficially, the Savages won both the turnover and rebounding battle at 23-37 and 34-18, respectively. Sigourney was led by senior Josephine Moore’s 22 points, followed up by Brynn Clarahan’s 14, and Ava Fisch’s nine. The Ravens were led by senior Malia Yoder’s 11 points, with Beachy and Helmuth in tow at five and four, respectively.

Victorious for the first time in her career, Sigourney Head Coach Kaylee Weber joined KCII Sports postgame to talk about the win. “We can build on this. Yes, we did get a win. Was it a sloppy win for us? Yes it was. We just need to work on sharpening up our game, and limiting those silly mistakes. Live ball turnovers, that kind of stuff. We’ll be golden after that,” Weber said.

While their victory will not count towards their season total, it still proves as a valuable stepping stone for Sigourney moving forward ahead of another scrimmage with Moravia next Tuesday. Meanwhile, Hillcrest begins their regular season with a road trip to Moravia next Friday. The Area Game of the Week also returns next Friday with a road trip to Keota for a girls doubleheader in the Four Corners Shootout featuring Lone Tree, Iowa Valley, Highland, and the home Keota Eagles.