The Ellsworth Bearcat girls came out on top of a big game Feb. 14, beating the eighth-place 3A stateranked Southeast of Saline Trojans 42-33.

After losing 48-32 in their last matchup at Southeast, the Bearcats were dominant from the tipoff.

“We came out with much more energy and confidence compared to the first matchup with them,” Head Coach Ryan Peschka said.

The first time the Cats played Southeast, the Trojans were able to score many points off transition, but that was not the case in this contest. The Bearcats capitalized on Southeast’s errors, and cut down on their own turnovers.

Also, in the first matchup, the Trojans were able to take advantage of offensive rebounds and putbacks, which the Bearcats shut down this time around as well.

“We guarded the ball really well and limited their second chance points by winning the battle on the boards,” Peschka said. “Offensively, we played much more under control, which resulted in fewer turnovers and better shot selection.”

By the end of the first quarter, the Bearcats had a commanding 13-5 lead.

Though the second quarter was a little slower for the Cats, they fought and kept the lead with a half-time score of 18-15.

Not being satisfied with a 3-point lead, The Bearcats dominated in the third quarter. They scored 15 points while the Trojans scored a mere 7.

In the fourth quarter, in an attempt to stop the clock for a chance to score, the Trojans began to foul. Getting into single, and eventually double bonus, the Bearcats were able to shoot free throws as a result of every Trojan foul. They made five out of seven free throws in the fourth quarter, sealing the victory.

Freshman Lainey Peschka was the lead scorer with 21 points. Juniors Isabelle Lindsley and Rylan Ohl and freshman Elyse Haxton each had 6 points.

Ellsworth vs. Bennington The Bearcats came up short in their game against the Bennington Bulldogs Feb. 17.

Coming off a big victory, the Bearcats struggled to get anything going at the beginning of the game.

The first quarter started very slowly for the Bearcats. They were getting shot opportunities, but couldn’t get enough to fall. The Bulldogs were able to take a generous lead, but not for long. By the end of the first quarter, Ellsworth fought back and took a 16-15 lead.

Bennington offered constant on- and off-ball pressure that upset the flow of the Bearcats’ offense.

“The game Friday was physical, and we didn’t respond to that as well as I had hoped,” Head Coach Ryan Peschka said.

“Despite that and not shooting real well, we were right there the entire game.”

Despite the obstacles faced, the first half ended with the Bearcats leading 25-22.

The game stayed neckand-neck, ending the third quarter 31-28, Ellsworth.

However, free throws proved to play a key role in Bennington’s success. They scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, and 8 of those were free throws. In total, they shot 27 free throws throughout the game and made 19. The Bearcats were only able to get to the free throw line 10 times, making six of those shots.

With the Bearcats down by 3 with three seconds left in the game, they were forced to try to foul in order to stop the clock, which sent Rory Miles of Bennington to the free throw line. The goal was to rebound the free throw and get the ball to try to make a last-second shot, but Miles made the free throw, giving Bennington a 4-point lead and sealing the victory. Ellsworth was unable to make a last-second shot, and the final score was 41-37.

Lexi West was the lead scorer for the Bearcats with 9 points, trailed closely by freshmen Lainey Peschka and Elyse Haxton with 7 points each.

The Lady Bearcats are moving forward from the loss and preparing for their final league and regular season game against Sacred Heart Feb. 21.

“We have a big game Tuesday against the only team in our league we haven’t beaten yet, so I’m confident we’ll respond with a better performance,” Ryan Peschka said. “This team has stuck together and bounced back before; they are a resilient group.”