SALINA — The Ellsworth girls’ basketball team squeezed out a win against Sacred Heart Knights Jan. 17 on the road, 54-51.

The Bearcats started on extremely strong foot.

The first quarter was an active one for both teams.

The first quarter ended 16-10, Ellsworth.

The tide shifted in the second quarter. The Knights started scoring more, pointing to a potential comeback. The second quarter ended 26-24, with the Bearcats barely hanging on.

Halftime brought with it a resurgence of energy for the Cats. The third quarter was the best they had in the entire game.

The tables turned yet again, as the Cats regained slight control of the game. Despite this, the Knights were far from obsolete, as they also had their best quarter. The Bearcats earned more of a lead to sustain themselves, but the Knights were still hard on their tails. The third quarter ended 44-39, Cats.

“The girls came together as a team in the important parts of the game,” head coach Craig Batchman said. “We had some moments where we let them back in the game, but they buckled down and did what they needed to do defensively to make stops when we needed, and keep the lead. We also hit some shots at crucial points of the game, which is something we have struggled with.”

That was evident in the final quarter. Everything converged there. The Knights started pulling out all the stops. They ended up scoring more in this quarter than the Cats, but it wasn’t enough. The Cats found the final bursts of energy they needed to stay ahead.

“I would say everyone working together and everyone doing their role,” said junior Lainey Peschka about their win.

“I think we also stayed positive, which helped at the end of the game.”

Peschka was the high scorer for the Cats by a wide margin, earning 17 points for the team.

This puts the Cats’ record at 6-3. Next, they play the Plainville Cardinals at home Jan. 28.

Beloit Jan. 14

The girls played the Beloit Trojans Tuesday, Jan. 14, at home, losing by one point, 48-47, in the last 12 seconds of the game.

The game started out on a productive note.

Both teams put some numbers on the board, but the Trojans stayed ahead of the Bearcats by an annoyingly small amount. The first quarter ended 13-10.

The second quarter expanded on a major theme of the game — being one step behind.

While the Cats were still trying to cover their losses, the Trojans contined to charge ahead. The Cats only seemed able to play keep-up. The second quarter ended 30-23.

The third quarter saw both teams lose a little steam. The Trojans continued to stay ahead, and the 7-point lead turned into a 9-point lead. The third quarter ended 43-34, with both teams close to snatching the victory, but with the Trojans still far closer.

Something changed in the fourth quarter. The Trojans took a massive step back in the final minutes of the game and the Cats started to gain some ground. With 55 seconds left in the game, both teams were tied, but it was the closest the Cats would get to victory.

There would be no clincher. The Trojans made a free throw. That 1 point proved to be insurmountable as the seconds ticked down. Nothing.

Time-out with 12 seconds left. Nothing. A handful of attempted 3-pointers. Nothing. The Bearcats lost by 1 point.

The lead scorer for the Cats was junior Josie Kueser with 9 points.