GYPSUM — The Ellsworth boys’ basketball team played against Southeast of Saline Friday, Jan. 31, on the road. The Trojans won, 61-58.

The Bearcats pulled out one of the strongest starts possible. They spent eight minutes of the game completely steamrolling their opponents. The first quarter ended 26-13, with the Bearcats having an extremely comfortable lead.

The second quarter saw a crash. While the Cats’ second quarter performance was considered adequate by most, it was a far cry from what they had done the quarter before. Their opponents capitalized on this, but frankly, not by much. The second quarter ended 35-26, with the Trojans closing in ever-so-slightly on the Cats.

Right out of halftime, the Trojans had a switch and it was finally their turn to have a superb quarter. The Trojans began putting some serious numbers on the board. They finally gained the edge on their opponents.

The Bearcat were slow on the uptake, and allowed the Trojans to gain a very slight lead. The third quarter ended 45-42, with the Trojans successfully turning the tables.

The Bearcats actually mounted a response in the last quarter. The problem is the Trojans were capable of maintaining their lead. The game ended with the Bearcats only being 3 points behind.

The lead scorer for the game was sophomore Jace Thomasson with 19 points.

The team travels to Minneapolis Feb. 11, to compete against the Lions.

Jan. 28 v. Plainville The boys competed against the Plainville Cardinals Tuesday, Jan.

28, at home. The Cardinals won by a painfully close 46-43.

The game got off to a strong start for both teams. Right from the word go, the first quarter and the rest of the game were neck and neck. Both teams pulled out all of the stops, and the rest of the night was sure to be exciting. The first period ended 13-12, with the Bearcats having an everso-slight lead. The tension didn’t let up in the second quarter, as both teams continued to stay within 1 point of each other at any given time. Still, despite this, the Cats continued to stay on top. Just a little though as they never had enough of a lead to be comfortable. The second period ended 21-19, with the Cardinals just 4 points up.

Coming out of halftime, there was a slight shift in the air. The third quarter saw the change the Bearcats had spent the entire game fearing.

There was a new aggressive feeling that stuck around for the rest of the game. The primary byproduct of this was a ridiculous amount of fouls and free throws. Of the 13 points the Cats scored in the third quarter, 6 of them were from free throws. Both teams were out for blood at this point, and it showed. The third period ended 35-34, with the Cardinals now on top.

A 1-point lead is hardly what anyone would call a cinch, and the fourth quarter was the most anxious one yet. The lead the Cardinals had didn’t last very long under the onslaught of the game.

That aggressive attitude helped the Bearcats to take, and keep, a small lead. With 31 seconds left in the game, the Cardinals made two free throws, and evened the odds. Both teams stood at 43 points, and it looked like overtime was in the cards. The seconds ticked down. There were two timeouts. Still, both teams stayed exactly where they were. The clock reached zero. A Cardinal lunged at the floor.

Then, the worst happened. A foul was called.

Everybody moved to the other side of the court and watched as the Cardinals stole the game in circumstances neither team probably found ideal. The loss was an extremely bitter one. The Cardinals made all three of the free throws they were afforded.

The lead scorer for the game was senior Dax Leiker with 15 points.