NORTON — The Ellsworth Jr./Sr. High School Lady Bearcats fell to the Norton Bluejays 47-36 in sub-state play Feb. 27.

After making the two-and-a-half-hour trip to face the fourth-seed Bluejays, the fifth-seed Bearcats were hopeful to take home a first round win, however, they were unable to pull it off.

From the start, the Bearcats struggled to put points on the board, however, they were able to lead in other ways. The Bearcats had 11 offensive and 20 defensive rebounds, whereas the Bluejays had 7 offensive and 19 defensive rebounds.

“We battled extremely hard against Norton,” Head Coach Ryan Peschka said. “We out-rebounded them and did a good job forcing turnovers with our ball pressure. Unfortunately, we just didn’t shoot the ball well.”

In the first quarter, the Cats allowed Cara Cox of Norton to score two 3-pointers. They gave up 15 points to the Bluejays for the quarter, but trailed closely with 10.

“They got off to a quick start,” Peschka said, “but once we settled in, we were right there until the end.”

By halftime, the Bearcats were down 22-15, scoring only one field goal for the quarter.

Coming out of the half, the Bearcats were ready to play. They outscored the Bluejays 9-7 in the third quarter, bringing the score to 29-24, Jays.

The Cats fought all the way through the fourth quarter, but simply couldn’t put up enough points to take the lead. In the entire second half, they did not allow Norton to make a single 3-pointer, but were unable to make any themselves.

Determined to stop the clock for a chance to get possession of the ball, the Bearcats fouled the Bluejays, who made four of six free throws in the fourth quarter to seal the deal, and were able to dribble the ball out in the last 5 seconds of the game. The final score was 47-36, Norton.

Ending the season in the first round of sub-state is disappointing for players, coaches and fans.

Ending the season in the first round of sub-state is disappointing for players, coaches and fans.

“We would have loved to have gotten a post-season win under our belt, but that’s more a testament to how deep our sub-state was,” Peschka said.

The Bearcats have plenty to be proud of from the season. Last season, they went 7-13; they made a substantial improvement this season, going 12-10.

“I was pleased with our season as a whole, particularly with how much improvement was shown within our league,” Peschka said. “We beat both teams that tied for first, so I think all the teams knew they were going to be in a battle against us.”

The Cats had two seniors on the team, Greta Klein and Ryan Tenbrink.

Both girls had a love for the game and a close relationship with their teammates.

Tenbrink said her favorite memories of the season were “getting to play with my closest friends and getting to share the same passion for the sport.”

“My favorite memories include spending time with my teammates and playing musical chairs (basketball edition) at practice,” Klein said.

As leaders on the court, the seniors had their own impact on their teammates.

“I hope the younger players always stay confident and never lose the passion for the incredible sport,” Tenbrink said.

“I hope I passed on a few things,” Klein said.

“One is to pick each other up when someone is having an off night. Next, get excited for your teammates, whether that be when they hit a good shot or something else good happens. Finally, be a leader and know your role on the team. There are going to be highs and lows throughout the season, but there has to be at least one person you can turn to and know they’ll be there for the team.”

The returning members of the team are set up for a successful future.

“We can certainly use the improvement from this year as a stepping stone for next year,” Peschka said.

“We played in a lot of tight games, some of which went our way and some that didn’t. There’s a fine line between being an 1win team compared to, say, a 15-win team. I think the girls understand the potential to do big things is there. Hopefully, that will provide a little motivation to work hard in the off season.”