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Wolves atop the North
Winfield-Mount Union beats Hillcrest Academy in battle of conference unbeatens
WINFIELD — The Southeast Iowa Super Conference North Division lead was on the line on Saturday in Winfield, as WMU hosted Hillcrest Academy in a battle of unbeatens.
After a fast start for the Ravens, it was the Wolves who proved to be the sharper team throughout, dominating the final three periods en route to a 63-35 win.
“We were pretty locked in defensively,” said WMU head coach Klay Edwards. “They're a really good offensive team, especially (Seth) Ours. He's like, the best shooter in the area.”
Ours was on fire early, hitting a pair of 3-pointers early on and scoring eight points in the first quarter. Hillcrest Academy led 11-8 after one period.
“In the second quarter, we kind of lost the flow,” said Hillcrest Academy head coach Dwight Gingerich. “They stiffened up the defense quite a bit.”
Indeed, the Wolves held the Ravens to just four points in the second quarter. WMU took control early in the period, dominating inside and taking a 26-15 halftime advantage.
The barrage of buckets at the basket continued in the third quarter. WMU put up a game-high 21 points in the third quarter to stretch the advantage to 47-25. That allowed the Wolves to cruise to victory in the fourth.
WMU was led on offense by Cam Buffington, who finished the night with 22 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals in just his third game of the season.
Like Buffington, many of the Wolves’ players are still recovering from a grueling football season, which ended in the Dome. Coach Edwards says the team is almost fully transitioned to basketball season.
“I think we're kind of getting there,” Edwards said. “The past week and a half offensively has not been good, but tonight we looked better.”
Abram Edwards scored 14 points and 13 rebounds. Carter Loyd finished with 11 points. Jake Edwards had nine. Cole Milks scored four points, and Gabriel Hemsworth had three.
Ours finished with 15 points for the Ravens. Mason Bender put up nine points, eight rebounds and four assists. Rowan Miller had six points. Bryce Bailey scored three, and Kate Bailey had two.
Both teams were coming off SEISC North wins the night before. WMU blew out Wapello 53-31, and Hillcrest hung on to beat Louisa-Muscatine 45-43.
