It’s go time for the Hillcrest Academy Raven girls basketball team tonight when they travel to Thornburg to meet the Tri-County Trojans to start 2022. Hillcrest finished last season at 1-19 overall and 0-14 in Supeconference play. Hillcrest’s lone win came December 11th when they took down Rivermont Collegiate 64-15. The Ravens scored 30 points per game last year while giving up 50. They shot 27% from the floor, 23% from downtown, and 59% at the line with 23 rebounds, four assists, five steals and 14 turnovers per game. The Ravens had three players recognized as all-conference a year ago, two of whom they have to replace in graduated seniors Esther Hughes and Leah Bontrager. Hughes led Hillcrest scoring 15 points per game, pulling in six rebounds, picking two steals per night and shooting 37% from the floor. Bontrager posted two points and three boards per game, shooting 27% from the floor. The all-conference performer that is returning is Malia Yoder. As a freshman, Yoder led the Ravens averaging two assists per night to go along with six points, three boards, and a steal, shooting 25% from the floor.

Tri-County was 3-19 last year, 1-15 in the South Iowa Cedar League. The Trojans averaged 27 points a game while giving 47 a year ago, shooting 24% from the floor, 18% from deep and 43% at the line. They averaged 26 rebounds, six assists, 11 steals and 23 turnovers per night. They return everyone from last year’s roster including leading scorer Macy Schmidt at six points per game, Delanie Little at five boards per night, and Ayla Hall with three steals and two assists per night. This week, Hillcrest Academy head girls basketball coach Mitchell Drey spoke with KCII Sports about what has him most excited about his team after early season practice. “The exciting thing is, they don’t know quite yet anything, and that’s a good thing. The sophomores last year kind of had that blessing, the freshman do. I’d love to have it where you get kind of a year building up, seeing what the varsity game looks like, but they don’t quite yet know. They are going to know this  year because sophomores, you’re going to tell them but, that level of excitement, ‘this is new, let’s go’, they are going 100 miles an hour which is awesome.”

The Trojans took this contest a season ago in Kalona 37-31. You can hear all of the action live tonight between the Ravens and Trojans on AM 1380, FM 102.5 and KCIIradio.com, beginning with the Washington HyVee Pregame Show at 5:30 and tip at 6p.m. in Thornburg.