By John Rittenhouse
The Ellsworth boys' basketball team recorded its fifth consecutive victory when it upended Lincoln HI 77-73 in Ivanhoe Thursday.
Four Panther players reached double figures in scoring for an Ellsworth squad that ended its first year of Camden Conference play with a 13-1 record.
Ellsworth, 18-3 overall, ends the regular season by hosting Flandreau (S.D.) Indian School tomorrow and Hills-Beaver Creek Monday.
The Panthers had to come from behind to best Lincoln HI Thursday.
Playing in front of a big crowd on Parents' Night in Ivanhoe, the Panthers found themselves facing 25-20 and 43-41 deficits at the first two quarter breaks.
Ellsworth played with more defensive intensity in the second half when it outscored the Rebels 36-30 to pull out a four-point victory.
"I think our defense was the key," said Panther coach Ken Kvaale. "They only scored 11 points in the third quarter, and we shut a couple of their key guys down."
The Panthers outscored LH 16-11 in the third quarter to gain a 57-54 advantage. A 20-19 scoring edge in the fourth quarter padded Ellsworth's final margin of victory to four points.
Curt Schilling led the Panthers with 27 points, 15 rebounds and six assists during the game.
Brant Deutsch scored 13 points, snared eight rebounds and distributed five assists, while Travis Jenniges netted 13 points and recorded four assists. Dylan Kvaale added 11 points to the winning cause.
Box score
Schilling 11 0 5-7 27, Jenniges 5 1 0-0 13, Janssen 1 1 0-0 5, Kvaale 5 0 1-2 11, Deutsch 4 1 2-3 13, Brommer 4 0 0-1 8.