Bearcats get knocked out in first round play against Wellsville

HUTCHINSON — In their first round state game against the Wellsville Eagles March 6 in Hutchinson, the Ellsworth boys’ basketball team faced a crushing 48-38 loss.

After Wellsville won the tip-off, the Bearcats started the game with the first stop by senior Riley Stone. Turning around on the other end, Stone put up a block shot, where he was fouled and dropped the first 2 points on free throws.

After the Eagles hit a couple of transition layups, they took the lead. However, the Cats held tight competition with their opponent.

Throughout the first quarter, Ellsworth took control defensively. While they struggled to get going on offense, they kept Wellsville from doing so. Gaining stops by constant defensive effort, the Bearcats found more open shots on their end.

Mid-way through the quarter, senior Lane Rolfs hit a 3 pointer and senior Will Cravens put up another 3 shortly after to gain the lead.

With 1 minute left in the quarter, the Eagles worked to tie up the score once again. The Bearcats knew it would take four full quarters of all their effort to take the victory, and throughout the remainder of the first quarter, that is just what they gave.

After Wellsville put up a layup at the very end of the quarter, they gained the lead with a score of 10-8.

To start the second quarter, the Eagles came out hot. They put up an early 4 points to take their largest lead of the game. Continuing to stretch their lead, Wellsville did not allow the Bearcats to score until nearly 4 minutes into the quarter, when Stone scored a block shot on a baseline in-bounds. By then, the Cats trailed 20-12.

Although working from behind, Ellsworth did not give up, and continued to push for the win. After a productive end of the first half, the Cats fought their way back in the game. At halftime, Wellsville led 22-21.

At the start of the second half, both teams kept each other from making anything happen on offense. Ellsworth’s defensive efforts allowed them the first 5 points of the half when Cravens scored a fast-break layup followed by a 3-pointer in transition.

Halfway through the third quarter, the Cats gained back the lead for the first time since the first quarter. Quickly after, Stone scored in transition to make the score 30-27, Bearcats.

After a buzzer-beater by Stone, Ellsworth ended the third quarter with a 35-32 lead.

In the final quarter of the state game, the Cats kept the competition strong. While they provided constant intensity and made impressive stops on defense, they struggled to work the ball for buckets on offense.

Nearly 4 minutes into the quarter, Wellsville re-gained their lead after a quick floater in the lane.

After the Eagles worked the ball around to run time off the clock, the Bearcats began to foul in an attempt to take possession of the ball. However, this sent Wellsville to the free throw line where they were able to expand their lead and take the victory from the Cats, ending with an Ellsworth loss, 48-38.

The boys’ basketball team ended the season with an overall record of 19-5. Wellsville went on to win the state championship.

Throughout the season, the Bearcats made history in more ways than one. From their first place finishes in both the Amos Morris Classic (Russell) and the Hoisington Winter Jam Tournament to their first state qualification since 1991, head Coach Brett Rolfs is proud of the season as a whole and looks forward to the future of the program.

“The success that we experienced this year should pay dividends with the players that are coming back,” Rolfs said. “Experiencing a deep post-season run should give the returners a good idea of what it took to get there and hopefully act as a springboard to work off of as they start putting in the work for next season.”