The Ellsworth boys’ basketball team closed out 2025 as they played host to league foe, the 4-1 Beloit Trojans, Dec. 16.

Things got bad quickly for the Bearcats as Beloit started the game on a 9-0 run, prompting an early Ellsworth timeout with 3:58 left in the first quarter with the score at 12-2.

The Bearcats tightened the straps down on their defense during the time-out as they held Beloit to just 2 points throughout the rest of the quarter, and the first period ended with a 14-5 Beloit lead.

The Trojans started the second quarter on a 12-0 run before Ellsworth scored their first point of the quarter with 3:32 left, on a free throw from senior Tucker Goss. The shooting woes continued for Ellsworth as they were held to zero field goals and just 2 points in the period as it closed out with a 30-7 Trojan lead.

The Ellsworth defense came back to life in the third period, forcing several Beloit turnovers, as senior Cooper McGowan scored on three straight trips down the court. The Bearcats knocked the 23-point lead down to 13 points at one point in the quarter, before the Trojans extended it back to 15 as the game went into the fourth quarter with a 42-27 Beloit advantage.

Ellsworth continued to chip away at the Trojan lead in the final frame, getting it down to 8 points. The Bearcats then had to start fouling to stop the clock as Beloit extended their lead back to 12 points and the game ended with a 50-38 Trojan win.

The Bearcats were led in scoring by Goss with 11 points, followed by McGowan with 10 points, while freshman Coulson Barta added 7.

Ellsworth goes into the winter break with a 1-4 record, with their next game on Jan. 6 when they travel to Larned, before hosting Republic County on Jan. 8.