The Hillcrest Ravens traveled to Mediapolis Tuesday and defeated the Bulldogs 44-34 in a hard-fought affair highlighted by senior guard Eli Ours scoring 1000 points. Ours connected on his second three late in the first quarter to hit the milestone.

Mediapolis used a deliberate offensive attack, forcing Hillcrest to grind it out on the defensive end. The Ravens led 8-7 after one quarter, and then trailed the Bulldogs 18-16 at the half in the even first half. 

Down by five points four minutes into the second half, a 7-2 Hillcrest run knotted the score at 27 to close the third quarter. A 5-0 spurt to begin the fourth quarter gave Hillcrest the lead for good, as the Ravens were able to keep the Bulldogs at bay. 

“Mediapolis has been playing really well and had key players back from when we played them the first time,” Hillcrest coach Dwight Gingerich explained. 

“For whatever reason, it’s never an easy place to play, and I was really proud of our guys for digging down and making plays at both ends down the stretch.”

The Ravens were 6-6 from the line to seal the win, as Ours, Noah Miller and Grant Bender knocked down two apiece.

John Hughes had 11 points and seven rebounds. Noah Miller scored nine, including a timely triple and Aaron Hershberger hit a big baseline jumper to complete the scoring for the Ravens. Bender had a team-high eight rebounds.

Ours led the way with 20 points, including four treys. 

“It was great to see Eli shoot the ball well on a night we really needed it,” Gingerich said. “Eli has been a steady force for us for four years, and it’s a great accomplishment for him to hit the 1000 point milestone.”