Hawks Vie for Rolling Hills Title

BIG ROAD WIN TUESDAY OVER O-MACK, 48-38

East Greene picked up a big win at Orient-Macksburg on Tuesday to keep its Rolling Hills Conference boys basketball title hopes alive. EG downed the Bulldogs 48-38, keeping the Hawks just one game behind league-leader Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira.

Orient-Macksburg had just handed EHKE its first league loss last Friday in Orient, upping its own record in the conference to 10-3, and moving OM to third place, just behind E/EHK (11-1) and EG (11-2), and a game ahead of Ankeny Christian Academy, 9-3.

EHKE won a big matchup Monday night at Ankeny Christian 54-48. The Spartans then beat Iowa Christian 68-50 the following night to move to 13-1 in the conference while EG upped its mark to 12-2 with the big win at Orient. Each team has just four conference games remaining including a key matchup next Friday night, Feb. 4, at Elk Horn.

EG faces a tough Glidden-Ralston squad tonight in Rippey. The Wildcats have won 5 of their last 7 games including a 70-41 drubbing of Ankeny Christian on Jan. 18 in Glidden. GR is just behind OM and ACA (both 10-4) in the league with a 9-4 mark. (GR and PC have each played one less game than the other 8 RH teams, but will make up their snowed out game from Jan. 11 on Monday, Jan. 31, in Glidden).

EYE ON GJ SAYS: The Hawks are playing solid ball and they showed real fortitude by making a very good showing in Orient on Tuesday night after losing by just one point to Class 2A Woodward-Granger Saturday in Rippey. The Hawks got a sweep of county rival and RH foe Paton-Churdan with a big 68-34 win on the home court on Friday night. The Hawks are now 13-3.

EG girls also picked up a conference win and a sweep of PC as they downed the Rockettes in Rippey, 36-27. The Hawkettes fell to Woodward-Granger the following night, 67-44. The win over PC moved the Hawkettes' conference record to 5-9. Overall, the Hawkettes are 6-11. Besides the GR game tonight and the Feb. 4 matchup with EHKE, the other two conference games left for the EG squads are Adair-Casey next Tuesday, Feb. 1, and Iowa Christian on Tuesday, Feb. 8. Both games are in Rippey. The girls enter district action on Thursday, Feb. 10, against Coon Rapids-Bayard at Coon Rapids while the boys close out the regular season with a home game against Madrid on Friday, Feb. 11.

ROLLING HILLS
Boys Conference Standings
(through Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011)

Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira 13-1
East Greene 12-2
Ankeny Christian 10-4
Orient-Macksburg 10-4
Glidden-Ralston 9-4
CAM 6-8
Iowa Christian 5-9
Walnut 2-12
Adair-Casey 2-12
Paton-Churdan 0-13

ROLLING HILLS
Girls Conference Standings
(through Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011)

CAM 13-1
Adair-Casey 12-2
Elk Horn-Kimballton/Exira 12-2
Iowa Christian 9-5
Orient-Macksburg 7-7
Ankeny Christian 7-7
East Greene 5-9
Walnut 3-11
Glidden-Ralston 1-12
Paton-Churdan 0-13