The Ellsworth Bearcat boys took the win over the Plainville Cardinals at home Jan. 24, 47-42.

The Cats quickly put 10 points on the board in the first quarter. Fighting back, the Cardinals tied the game, ending the first quarter 10-10.

That didn’t keep the Bearcats from scoring and they ended the first half up 17-9.

The Cards closed the score to within 6 points in the third quarter, 36-30. Plainville sunk a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left in the game, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Bearcats.

“We definitely didn’t expect the game to be that close,” junior Lane Rolfs said. “In the end we got the win, but there are many things to take away from the game that we can work on improving.”

Ellsworth vs. Southeast

Last Friday the boys were on the road, traveling to Southeast of Saline. The Trojans jumped out in a man-to-man defense during the first quarter to put pressure on the guards, trying to cause turnovers. The Bearcats stayed with the Trojans, ending the first quarter in a tie, 10-10.

The Trojans went on a run during the second quarter, upping the score to 18-30 before halftime.

The Cats switched up their defense after the half from a manto- man to a 2-3 zone, but went back to man in the fourth quarter. Scoring 11 points during the third quarter, the Bearcats trailed the Trojans 29-49.

Pressing on and off in the fourth quarter, Southeast continued to pressure the Bearcats. Not able to handle the pressure, the Bearcats trailed behind, ending the game 43-63.

“I was very pleased with the energy and effort our team displayed,” Head Coach Brett Rolfs said. “Unfortunately, a high number of turnovers hurt our chances to upset a very talented Southeast team.”

Junior Will Cravens led Ellsworth in scoring with 16 points.

“I thought we came out good and kind of set the tone,” Cravens said. “It was a tough game, but I thought we got better as a whole.”

Other players contributing to the score were juniors Riley Stone with 11 points and Layton Leiker with 6, seniors Cade Gwinner with 5 and Isaac Lindsley with 3 and junior Ben Hipp and freshman Cooper McGowan with 1 point each.

The Bearcats are now 9-5 with a home game Friday night against the Beloit Trojans. Girls’ games begin at 6 p.m. with the boys following.