The Hillcrest basketball team entered this season with a few questions after graduating a pair of first-team all-conference seniors. 

After halftime in Pekin on Friday, the Ravens got a few answers.

Senior Aiden Krabill and junior Luke Schrock each hit a pair of 3-pointers in the second half as Hillcrest turned a 10-point halftime deficit into a 10-point lead with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. 

Freshman Seth Ours scored eight points during the fourth quarter and overtime, and Grant Bender made the final shot in the 60-59 win.

“We talked about in the locker room after the game, just how everybody made huge contributions today,” Hillcrest head coach Dwight Gingerich said.

The Ravens entered Friday’s game without Jace Rempel, who has missed the last four games with a concussion. Coming out of halftime, the Ravens were down 30-20 on the scoreboard and were now down a second starter as senior point guard Noah Miller had left with a leg injury. 

“It really forced other guys to step up,” Gingerich said. “Luke, Aiden… Aiden is a nice floor leader out there from his spot. (Josiah Beachy) was playing with some awareness out there. It really had everybody else stepping up.”

Krabill had not attempted a 3-pointer this season before he hit back-to-back triples from the right and left corners to give Hillcrest its first lead of the day at 31-30. 

“They were kind of playing off of me, so Grant came up to me and said, ‘you need to start shooting the ball,’” Krabill said. “So that helped my confidence, and when I found myself open, I just let it go.”

Schrock hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead to four, and made another to open the fourth quarter. 

“Our defense turned into offense and we were able to knock down some big shots,” Schrock said about the 17-0 run to open the third quarter. 

The Ravens had a few turnovers during a 9-0 Panther run that cut the lead to 48-47, but Bender was able to slow the momentum building in the Pekin gym with a huge bucket in the paint. 

“We didn’t have many subs and we were just getting a bit tired,” Bender said. “We really focused on just locking in on what we needed to do. And then being loud and getting our heads back in the game.”

After Chandler Stull’s 3-pointer sent the game into overtime, the Ravens had to refocus again. Ours found himself open in the corner early in the overtime period and the freshman didn’t hesitate. 

“I think it was Grant who penetrated and kicked, and I was open,” he said. “I hit the shot, which was nice.”

The Ravens made nearly 40 percent of their 3-pointers and shot over 60 percent overall. Beachy, Krabill and Schrock each had three assists.

Before the game, KCII broadcaster Zach Ulin told the Hillcrest coaches that Friday’s game came exactly 25 years after assistant coach Stephen Bender had scored 26 points in an overtime loss at Pekin. 

Bender’s son, Grant, had 24 points already when he caught the ball in the paint with 30 seconds left, down 59-58 in overtime.

“Grant had sealed his guy, and that was a great pass from Luke to Grant,” Gingerich said. “And Grant made a tremendous finish, a strong finish, even used his left hand in that situation which was a thing of beauty. And what a feed from Luke.”

The younger Bender finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds in the overtime win. Krabill had eight points and Schrock had 12 points playing with a sprained ankle. Ours had 12 as well after pain in his shins kept him out of practice the day before. 

“I think it just says how tough we are,” Ours said about the second half start. “Especially after losing a couple of our best players... just sticking with it, and playing our hardest.”