Keota boys fall to Montezuma

MONTEZUMA – The first half seemed to feature everything going right, but a slow start to the second half doomed them. 

The last time the Keota boys basketball team fell in a regular season basketball game was on January 10, 2023 when North Mahaska bested the Eagles by five points. Since then the Eagles won 37-straight regular season basketball games. 

That streak ended on Friday night as Montezuma was able to best the Eagles 73-63 in a road game. 

The Eagles certainly didn’t seem like they would let the streak end. In the first quarter of the game the Eagles were able to score 21 points while limiting the Braves to just seven. The Braves started the comeback in the second quarter. 

In the second eight minutes Montezuma put 19 points on the board while holding Keota to just 10. 

Still, Keota had a 31-26 lead at halftime. 

Everything flipped for the Eagles in the third quarter as Montezuma put together a 29-point quarter to surge into the lead. Keota fought back, but they were only able to score 13 points in the third quarter. 

Both teams continued to showcase their offense in the final frame. Although Keota outscored Montezuma 19-17 the Eagles fell to the Braves and their regular-season winning streak came to an abrupt close. 

Chase Hailfley was able to score 20 points in the game. He added five rebounds with two assists. 

Billie Kindred had 16 points with 18 total rebounds for a double-double. 

Jace Chalupa finished with 17 points and a steal.  

Jackson Vittetoe and Brody Greiner both finished with three points each. Porter Cave would add two points. 

The Eagles stand at 7-1 on the season. They will host HLV and then travel to play Colfax-Mingo later this week.