In their season-opening game, the Bearcat boys’ basketball team took a substantial win over Lyons Dec. 1, beating the Lions 59-31.

Jumping out from the start, Ellsworth dominated from the moment they won the tip-off until they secured the victory.

In the first quarter, the Cats shut down the Lions on defense. By forcing errors on the Lions, the Bearcats converted Lyons turnovers into new scoring opportunities. At the end of the first quarter, Ellsworth led 22-4.

Continuing their momentum into the second quarter, the Cats capitalized on their lead. In the second quarter alone, junior Dax Leiker hit three 3-pointers in a row. Senior Will Cravens sank a 3-pointer as well, along with a layup and free throw.

The second half ended with a score of 38-9.

Noting what they needed to work on during halftime, the Cats returned to the court prepared to control the second half.

Ellsworth continued to increase their lead throughout the duration of the third quarter. The Lions began to foul, putting the Cats on the free throw line. With a total of 17 free throws made during the game, seven of them occurred in the third quarter. In total, the Bearcats shot 74 percent for free throws.

Efficiency on offense and through free throws allowed the Cats to end the third quarter with a lead of 53-21.

The fourth quarter was low-scoring for Ellsworth. Scoring only 6 points, they allowed the Lions to add another 10 to the board. While they did not add many points in the fourth quarter, the Bearcats ended the game strong. Playing solid defense, they were able to stop Lyons from going on a major run.

With a final score of 59-31, Ellsworth sealed the dominating victory over Lyons.

Cravens was the lead scorer with 25 points. Senior Riley Stone had 11 points, Dax Leiker had 9 and senior Layton Leiker contributed 6.

The team saw this win as the first step in the goals they have for the season.

“We were able to get off to a really fast start, which helped us gain confidence early in the game,” Head Coach Brett Rolfs said. “We shot the ball very well in the first half. It’s a great start, but we have a long season in front of us. We don’t like to look too far out in front of us. We always just take it one game at a time and try to get better daily.”

The team will play in Russell at the Russell Tournament Dec. 7. The opponent and time of competition were not determined by press time.