The WACO Warriors kept up their excellent basketball seasons by winning a pair of games against conference rival Wapello Friday night. The WACO girls jumped out to an 18-5 lead and kept the pedal to the metal the rest of the way in a 60-27 victory. Warriors senior Ellah Kissell kept up her torrid scoring pace by hitting six three-pointers and pouring in 28 points. It’s the third straight game with at least 28 points for Kissell, after she scored 30 or more in the previous two, and the second time in those three games that she has hit six triples. The win helps WACO improve to 9-1 in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference North and 12-2 overall.

The Warrior boys suffered a slow start, trailing Wapello 9-7 after a quarter of play. But WACO rallied to take a 27-20 lead into halftime and roared to life to build a 20-point lead in the third quarter. The Warriors went on to defeat the Indians 54-30, thanks largely to star junior guard Hunter Hughes’ 13 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and five steals. Junior Colton Leichty posted nine points and five rebounds, while senior Cody Graber added six points, nine boards and four assists for the fourth-ranked team in Class 1A. WACO remains undefeated and will put their 13-0 record on the line Tuesday night. The Warriors host Winfield-Mount Union for a huge doubleheader, as first place in the Super Conference North is on the line in both games.