Highland, IMS, Keota pick up weekend victories

Highland picks up pair of wins

The Highland boys? basketball team stayed at the top of the conference race over the weekend, picking up a pair of conference victories to improve their record to 11-3 on the season.

After picking up a 63-47 victory over Wapello on Friday night, the Huskies went on to take on New London on Saturday and came out with a 66-49 win.

In the contest, senior Tucker Hall notched 15 points, followed by Nick Sandburg?s 14 points and eight rebounds.

Tereze Lanfair picked up 11 points for the Huskies as well.

Highland sits at 7-2 in conference action, tied with Lone Tree for the top spot in the race for the conference title, with both teams in front of Winfield-Mt. Union (6-3 in conference) and Iowa Mennonite (5-3 in conference).

Highland will host Iowa Mennonite in the only meeting between the pair this season on Tuesday night.

IMS defeats WACO at the buzzer

Iowa Mennonite kept pace in the conference race with a late victory over WACO on the road on Friday night.

IMS senior Eli Gingerich nailed a floater with five seconds remaining, capping off a comeback, which saw IMS trail by six with 1:30 left in the game. IMS won 46-44.

Gingerich had 11 points in the game, finishing behind junior Cole Yoder?s team-high 12 points and five rebounds.

Gingerich also notched five rebounds, four assists and two steals in the contest, all team-highs.

WACO was led by a pair of double-digit scorers in the game, with Duncan Pickard leading the way with 15 points, followed by Bryce Achen?s 12 points.

WACO fell to 2-11 with the loss, while IMS completed the season sweep of the Warriors to improve to 8-4 and stay one game back of the conference lead.

Of IMS? eight wins, four have been within five points, with WACO providing two of those close contests.

IMS will face Highland on Tuesday night, while WACO will go on to take on Louisa-Muscatine.

Keota picks up needed win

The Keota boys? basketball team earned a close victory over Colfax-Mingo on Friday night, righting the ship after a pair of losses.

The Eagles won 66-58 on the night, led by Zach Mousel?s 18 points and seven assists, while sophomore Hunter Wilson came off the bench to hit four 3-pointers, and total 16 points.

Jacob Wickenkamp had nine points, five rebounds and six assists, while Avery Conrad picked up six points and a team-high nine rebounds in the victory.

Keota moves to 10-4 on the season (9-2 in conference play) and remains firmly in control of their position in the South Iowa Cedar League East Division title race.

The Eagles will take on Belle Plaine on Tuesday night.

Columbus falls to WMU

The Columbus boys? basketball team had a tough first half against one of the top teams in the conference, Winfield-Mt. Union, and eventually fell to the Wolves 68-42.

The Wildcats were led by Carter Colby?s 15 points in the game, while John Rees notched eight points and a team-high seven rebounds, but it wasn?t enough, as Columbus could only muster nine first-half points.

During the cold first half, Winfield-Mt. Union put themselves in front by 25 and didn?t look back.

Columbus fell to 0-11 on the season, and will look to pick up its first victory of the year against Pekin on Tuesday night.