The Ellsworth girls’ basketball team played against the Goodland Cowboys in first-round substate semifinal play Thursday, March 6, losing 45-26 and knocking them out of the tournament.

Both teams struggled to put points on the board at the start of the game. The first quarter ended 9-5, with the Bearcats having a minor lead.

The Cowboys turned up the heat in the second quarter and started scoring more, chipping away at the Bearcats’ lead. In the last few minutes of the quarter, both teams were neck-and-neck.

The Bearcats’ minimal lead had gone down the drain, and the rest of the game was a slog. The second quarter ended 15-14, with the Bearcats barely hanging on to their winning position.

After halftime, there was a clear shift. The Cowboys woke up and went on a rampage. What was left of the Bearcats’ lead disappeared fast, and it never came back. Ellsworth began to slip, throwing the ball to nowhere. The Bearcats started to fall behind, and spent the quarter playing an unsuccessful game of catch up. The third quarter ended 33-20, with the roles now reversed.

The fourth quarter wasn’t any better for the Cats. The Cowboys successfully locked the Cats out of the game, and walked off with an extremely comfortable win, ending the Cats’ season with a 16-6 record.

The lead scorer for the game for Ellsworth was junior Lainey Peschka with 13 points.

“I am extremely proud of the girls.” head coach Craig Batchman said. “They continued to improve throughout the season with their hard work and dedication. It was not the ending that we wanted, but we will learn from it and get better for next season.”