Eli Ours is not the same athlete he was as a freshman.

The Hillcrest Academy senior guard has been a starter for the Ravens’ boys’ basketball team in each of his four varsity seasons. The early experience accelerated the adjustment process to high school ball and turned a quiet, athletic freshman that was comfortable with deferring to teammates into one of the most productive players and leaders in program history.

His prep basketball swan song arrived Thursday with a crack at an undefeated No. 1-ranked team.

“All the guys were really excited,” Ours said after the Hillcrest basketball season ended with a 63-30 loss to Class 1A No. 1 North Linn in a district semifinal at North Linn High School. “All week we have been preparing really hard. We believed we could win this game. It did not go the way we wanted it to.”

Hillcrest was within six points at 19-13 in the second quarter, but was undone by a 24-3 North Linn explosion that bled into the third frame.

Three North Linn scorers finished in double figures, led by 19 points from sophomore Tate Haughenbury.

“They are all just so fast and athletic,” Ours said. “They all know the game really well. Their place, their defensive aggressiveness. That is probably the biggest thing, I would say.”

While that singular result was not ideal for Hillcrest (13-8), it would be hard to argue that the four-year results for Ours could be considered anything other than fantastic. With 11 points and four steals (both team highs), plus seven rebounds and an assist against North Linn (23-0), Ours stamped his name among the best Hillcrest players ever in a variety of statistical categories.

“Eli has been just a really steady performer for four years,” longtime Hillcrest Coach Dwight Gingerich said. “He started as a freshman, which doesn’t happen real often. He has just been a really solid player. I am really proud of him and he has really responded great as a leader and as a player over his career. What a great senior year, he had. I am really proud of him.”

Hillcrest sophomore Luke Schrock scored eight points, senior Aaron Hershberger grabbed nine rebounds and sophomore Grant Bender distributed four assists in the loss.

Ours led the Ravens in points (16.4 per game), assists (3.7) and steals (2.7) this season. It was the second year in a row that he led the team in those three categories. As a sophomore, his 13.6 points per game scoring average was also tops on the squad.

“I think I am really patient, relaxed under pressure,” Ours said. “I try not to let the moment get to me. Just easy to play with, involve my teammates a lot.”

Ours closed his prep basketball career ranked fourth in program history with 1,175 career points, third in steals (200), fifth with 138 three-point baskets and sixth in assists (289). He was named to the all-conference first team of the Southeast Iowa Super Conference after both his sophomore and junior seasons, and figures to be a cinch for a third nod next month.

“He has become a much better scorer,” said Gingerich, who just completed his 39th season at the school and is four wins away from 700 in his career. “His shooting has improved a lot. He has become a solid three-point threat. Earlier in his career, he probably relied a little bit more on driving, but his stroke is really looking good. 

“Defensively, he plays way harder than he did as a younger player, which is normal. His game is so much more complete than probably even a year ago. And he was really good a year ago. You see that improvement every year in a player. He has been a joy to coach and he has been just a terrific player in our program.”

As a freshman during the 2017-18 season, Ours was able to play alongside older brother Cole, who now attends Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  Since his graduation, Cole was able to return to Iowa to see Eli play in person or watch live streams from Virginia.

“It was really cool,” Eli Ours said. “Just being out there with him, passing him the ball, watching him hit threes. It was really cool.”

A senior season marked by coronavirus restrictions and unprecedented practice and scheduling uncertainty – the Ravens were fortunate to have had only one game canceled this season – provided Ours with an opportunity to step into even more of a leadership role for his team. He did so with relish.

“The leadership he provided our team was incredible,” Gingerich said. “He was kind of the voice on the floor. By nature, would probably tell you too, he tends to be a little more reserved. So I think it was good for him personally to be in that role. It stretched him and he became really good at it. He was out there talking to them tonight. You could hear him on the floor. He was helping guys get to their spots. He is providing leadership at both ends of the floor. And that takes a lot of mental energy, too. 

“So that on top of what maybe he gives you in terms of his performance, he is doing a lot of the intangibles in a leadership role and he does a great job.”

Eli is considering joining Cole at Eastern Mennonite for college, the same school their parents, Jeremy and Sheila, attended. Eli departs the Hillcrest boys’ basketball program with twice as many wins (58) as losses (29).

“It has meant a lot,” Ours said. “I have always loved the game of basketball.”

The end of the basketball season does not mean Ours is done representing the Ravens in athletics. He is a successful shortstop and pitcher – he even pitched a no-hitter in 2019 – for the baseball team, which will resume activities in the summer.

Next month signals the start of soccer season, where Ours and the Ravens are anxious to re-start the chase for a third state tournament berth in a row after coronavirus restrictions canceled the entire 2020 season.

“It will be fun,” Ours said. “We should have a good team this year again. ... I am excited.”