By pEYTON cOONROD

Ellsworth County I-R

HOISINGTON — For the first time since 1991, the Ellsworth boys’ basketball team made it to the state tournament. Their 45-25 victory over Haven March 2 at Hoisington sealed their sub-state title.

The last sub-state championship game for the Cats was in 2018, when they fell to Thomas More Prep.

After Haven won the tip-off, they went down to score the first point on a free throw. From there, neither team scored until nearly 4 minutes into the game, when the Wildcats added another 2 points on a block shot.

The Bearcats had a hard time getting anything to fall in the first quarter, but made up for it defensively. By shutting down Haven’s offense, they gained opportunities to push the ball in transition.

Senior Riley Stone dropped in the first 2 for Ellsworth, and shortly after, he followed up with another floater in the lane.

After senior Will Cravens hit a deep 3-pointer, the Bearcats took the lead and held it for the rest of the game.

Finally beginning to see their shots fall, Ellsworth led at the end of the first quarter 12-9.

Ellsworth had the first possession of the second quarter, and Stone was fouled on a post-entry pass. While they did not score on the possession, the team worked the ball around for over a minute looking for a good shot.

After stopping the Wildcats from scoring on the other end, Ellsworth returned for a 3 by senior Lane Rolfs for the first points of the quarter.

Because they held the lead, Ellsworth worked the ball around to run time and find the perfect shot toward the end of the quarter. After controlling the ball for nearly a minute on their end of the court, the Bearcats passed to Rolfs for his second 3 of the night.

Stone ended the second quarter with a buzzer-beater jump shot by the free throw line. The first half score ended with a Bearcat lead of 21-12.

Haven started with the ball in the second half, and after rebounding an air-balled 3-pointer, Ellsworth went down and ran a solid offense to gain Stone an open shot. When he was fouled, he sank both free throws to start the third quarter.

Throughout the game, Ellsworth kept the momentum going. They did not let up on defense, making it difficult for the Wildcats to get anything going throughout the rest of the second half.

As they continued to push forward and stretch their lead, the Bearcats ended the third quarter ahead, 28-18.

To start the fourth quarter, Stone dropped in an and-1 bucket down low to make it a 3-point play.

Haven began to pick up their aggression defensively. However, they began to foul in the process. Ellsworth went to the free throw line a total of 18 times during the game, making 12. Haven, on the other hand, made six out of eight at the line.

On the final buzzer, the Bearcats ended with a 45-25 victory to send them to the state tournament.

Stone was the lead scorer for Ellsworth with 17 points, followed by Rolfs with 13 and Cravens with 10.

“Getting to that game had been our goal all season long, and we knew we had the talent to win it,” Rolfs said. “We prepared and worked hard for it throughout the week, and knowing that we get to play in a state tournament is really special to me, especially getting to play for my dad.”

Rolf ’s father, Brett Rolfs, is the team’s head coach.

As the fifth seed in the state tournament, the team’s first round game was played March 6 in Hutchinson against the fourth seed Wellsville. Results were not available by press time.

Lyons Feb. 29

HOISINGTON — The Ellsworth boys’ basketball team won their Feb. 29 substate playoff game against the Lyons Lions 55-45.

After being slightly behind the whole first quarter, the Bearcats decided to make a change. This period would be the only one where the Lions outscored the Cats for the rest of the game. The quarter ended 14-11, Lyons.

The second period was much better for the Cats, ending 26-22.

Things would continue to go downhill for the Lions. The third period would be the worst they would have for the whole game, and it ended 36-27,with the Lions making only 5 points.

The fourth period was the best period for both teams, though it was awash with fouls. Almost every point the Cats made was from free throws. Despite the Lions being very close to earning the same amount of points as the Cats in this quarter, the Cats still maintained their considerable lead, ending in a 55-45 Ellsworth win and advancing the Bearcats to the sub-state championship game.

Will Cravens was the highest scorer, earning a massive 22 points.