The Keota Eagles earned a hard-fought boys’ basketball win December 20th over Lynnville-Sully by a final score of 51-49. Keota saw Lynnville-Sully use an 11-4 run at the end of the first half to turn a two-point deficit into a 27-22 lead at halftime, and the Eagles would still trail going into the final period, but some clutch plays down the stretch allowed them to rally on their home floor and edge out the Hawks.

Junior Chase Haifley had a number of big buckets to help Keota get the win, scoring a game-high 21 points and hitting three three-point shots. Senior teammate Billie Kindred came close to adding a double-double with 11 points, nine rebounds and three steals, while junior Jackson Vittetoe added 10 points and three assists to preserve the Eagles’ unbeaten record.

The Keota girls’ team would suffer a 56-39 loss to 13th-ranked Lynnville-Sully, but despite falling behind 30-9 at halftime, the Eagles nearly came all the way back with a 23-6 run to start the second half. Unfortunately, the Hawks put the game away with a 20-7 closing stretch.

Freshman Cameron Haifley came off the bench to produce 13 points, four rebounds and three steals for Keota, while sophomore Emily Conger tied for the team high with 13 points scored and also had three steals. The defeat drops the Eagles to 2-6. Both Keota teams next play Friday at Montezuma.