Ravens nipped in semis

WHEATLAND — Hillcrest Academy came oh so close to joining top-seeded Notre Dame in this weekend’s Class 1A, Substate 5 final.

The Ravens led the Warriors by three points with 1:30 remaining, but didn’t score another point in a tough 48-46 semifinal loss.

After battling all night long, Hillcrest Academy began to see a little separation from the hosting Warriors, going up by four points with three minutes remaining. The Ravens held a 46-42 lead, then a 46-43 lead with the ball in the final two minutes.

Calamus-Wheatland cut that lead to one point on a layup with 1:35 remaining. Then, after a missed shot by Hillcrest Academy, the Warriors capitalized on an offensive rebound by going ahead 47-46 on a put-back layup.

Now down in the final minute, the Ravens had three chances to steal back the lead. Gibson Scott nearly gave Hillcrest Academy a one-point lead on the ensuing possession, but a layup rolled off. Then, the Warriors missed three of four free throws down the stretch, allowing two more Raven chances.

One of those chances went by the wayside on a turnover in the final 10 seconds, but Hillcrest still had a shot in the very last ticks. Leading scorer Kale Bailey took a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer, but the shot was blocked and Calamus-Wheatland survived with a two-point victory.

Bailey finished the night with a team-leading 17 points. Rowan Miller was the team’s only other double-digit scorer, with 10.

The Ravens ended the season with a 20-5 record, a strong mark under head coach Stephen Bender’s first year. Calamus-Wheatland is now 23-2, and will face Notre Dame (23-2) in the Substate final in Iowa City on Saturday at 4 p.m.