HOISINGTON —The Ellsworth boys’ basketball team played at the Hoisington Tournament, wich ran Jan. 20-25.

The week yielded mixed results, with only one win, and two losses.

The tourney started strong for the Bearcats Jan. 21, with a tight 39-38 win over the Ellinwood Eagles.

The Bearcats earned a slim margin on the board during the first quarter, which ended ended 5-2.

The second quarter was where the Bearcats really kicked it into high gear. A switch flipped and they became productive.

The second quarter ended 21-10, with the Bearcats far ahead of their competitors.

Something changed in the Eagles after halftime. It was their turn to finally surge forward. In the third quarter, they went from practically obsolete, to dangerously close to victory. The Bearcats continued to score, however, and stayed in the game. The third quarter ended 29-25, with what seemed to be an Eagle comeback.

Alarmingly, the Eagles kept that energy going into the fourth quarter and found themselves on the threshold of victory multiple times. The Bearcats responded by going into overdrive themselves. They managed to cling to their lead, even as it continued to diminish. In the end, the Bearcats won by a single point, 39-38.

On Jan. 24 the Cats lost to the Hoisington Cardinals, 53-28.

The game started on an extremely discouraging note. The Cardinals establish themselves to be ridiculously strong opponents in the first quarter. The first quarter ended 16-7, Hoisington.

The Bearcats scored more in the second quarter, as a response to the Cardinals’ massive lead. The problem was it wasn’t a very effective response, as the Cardinals still continued to lead them, both in the quarter and in the game overall. The second quarter ended 32-20.

The third quarter was the point of no return for the Cats. If there was one thing they needed more than anything, it was a phenomenal quarter. The Cats needed to put double digits on the board if they wanted to even come close to winning. One point was all the Bearcats scored in the entire third quarter. The Cardinals continued to dominate the game. The third quarter ended 47-21, with a Cardinal victory practically assured.

The fourth quarter was where the Cardinals finally ran into a stumbling block. They only scored 2 points in the entire quarter. The difference between the two teams though, was that the Cardinals could afford the blunder. The Cats didn’t capitalize on this slow period. Despite the pitiful Cardinal performance, they still managed a very comfortable victory.

On Jan. 25, the Cats had their final match against the Victoria, falling to the Knights, 41-34.

The Bearcats got off to an extremely weak start in the first quarter. They only made one basket in the entire eight minutes. The Knights, on the other hand, leaped past them and made six times their score. The first quarter ended 12-2.

The Cats managed to pick up the pace in the second quarter and put some respectable numbers on the board. The Knights remained extremely consistent with their scores, and continued to stay on top. The second quarter ended 21-13, Victoria.

In the third quarter, the Bearcats managed to gain a little ground. The Bearcats started setting the stage for a possible comeback and the third quarter ended 28-22.

The fourth quarter was the best the Cats had, and yet, despite this newfound energy, it ultimately proved a rather fruitless endeavor. The Knights still ended up with a fairly healthy lead and fairly healthy 41-34 victory.

The Casts’ season record is 6-6. They play the Southeast of Saline Trojans Friday, Jan. 31, at Gypsum.