Bender’s 18 sparks Ravens

KALONA - The Hillcrest Academy Ravens picked up a big boys basketball home win Tuesday over Lone Tree, defeating the Lions 65-31 on the strength of balanced scoring and stingy defense in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference North Division game.

'Defensively, we played harder, though we had trouble at times on the glass, which we have to get better at,” Hillcrest head coach Dwight Gingerich said. 'It was good to see things click at both ends for longer stretches.”

The Ravens' balanced offensive attack received three-fourths of its total from the combination of Grant Bender, who scored 18 points, John Hughes, who had 16 points and Eli Ours, who had 15 points.

Hillcrest jumped to a 16-7 lead after one quarter and extended the margin to 33-13 at the half. The Ravens led 50-25 after three quarters, and a 10-4 run made it 60-29 with 4 minutes to play.

Aiden Krabill added six points to the Ravens total, Noah Miller scored four, Aaron Hershberger had three points, Aidan Yoder two points, and Luke Schrock a free throw. Bender had a team-high four steals. Hughes led the glass clearing with seven rebounds, while Hershberger and Bender had five boards apiece.

The ball moved well as Ours had eight assists, Bender had five, and Schrock picked up four assists.

'The passing was very good at times, and it starts with the strong floor play of Eli Ours, who also did a nice job of pushing the break,” Gingerich said. 'It's fun to watch the unselfish play of this team continue to grow.”

Hillcrest moves to 3-3 in conference play, 4-4 overall and next plays at Winfield-Mt. Union Friday.