SALINA — The Ellsworth boys’ basketball team played Sacred Heart on the Knights’ turf Friday, Jan. 17, and lost 63-36.

The Bearcats started out with what, against a normal team, would be considered a strong start. Ten points right off the bat isn’t something to scoff at, and is usually the beginning of a fairly even, close game. But the Bearcats’ opponents were not a normal team, they were Sacred Heart. If the Cats had a strong start, then the Knights had an indestructible one. The first quarter ended 17-10, with the Knights commandeering a massive lead.

The second quarter was much of the same, with the Knights’ lead only expanding. The second quarter ended 33-19, Knights.

Coming out of halftime, any hopes for a Bearcat rejuvenation were very quickly dashed. The Bearcats were so consistent, they scored the same amount of points in the third quarter as they did in the second. The third quarter ended 52-28, Knights.

The final quarter also didn’t have any kind of major upset. In fact, the Bearcats scored the same amount of points they did in the first quarter, making the game perfectly symmetrical. The Knights had their best quarter of the game, and inched even further ahead.

“They’re a tough team,” said junior Tucker Goss. “Loud environment and a great student section. It’s a tough place to win; and that win could’ve really helped us. We just didn’t do enough of the right things to come out with a win in the end.”

Goss was the lead scorer for the team, earning 15 points.

This puts the Cats’ season record at 5-5.

The team takes the court at home against Plainville Jan. 28.

Beloit Jan. 14

The boys competed against the Beloit Trojans Tuesday, Jan. 14, at home, and lost 51-33.

The game started on a sour note. The Trojans almost immediately claimed the lead and kept it. The first quarter ended 10-6, Trojans.

The second quarter saw progress. Not much progress, but progress nonetheless. The teams kept pace with each other, with the Trojans not being able to expand on their lead. The second quarter ended 21-18.

The third quarter changed a lot of that.

The Cats took a massive step backwards. They scored exactly 4 points in the entire quarter.

The Trojans continued to chug along, racking up points. The Cats’ stationary period cost them dearly. Victory went from just ahead, to miles away, as the third quarter ended 34-22.

The Trojans followed up on their newfound lead by having the most productive quarter in the game, making their victory assured.

The top scorer for the Cats was junior Tucker Goss who scored 12 points, all of them 3-pointers.