Ellsworth senior Janice Leuthold (left) wrestles for a rebound with a Dawson-Boyd player during Monday’s girls’ basketball game in Ellsworth. The Panthers won their Camden Conference opener against the Blackjacks.
By John Rittenhouse
Ellsworth bounced back from a season-opening girls’ basketball loss in Hills Friday by upending Dawson-Boyd 49-30 in Ellsworth Monday.
Laurel Drenth recorded a double-double for the winning Panthers by scoring a team-high 16 points and collecting 14 rebounds.
Jenna Groen netted 15 points for EHS, moving within 13 points of the 1,000-point plateau for her career.
Some late runs by H-BC set the stage for Ellsworth’s 46-28 loss in Hills Friday.
On Monday, the Panthers put together some runs to put away the Blackjacks.
"I was very proud of the turn-around we had since the game with H-BC. We hit on all cylinders in this game," said Panther coach Dean Schnaible.
With Groen scoring four points, Kayla Boltjes nailing a three-point shot and Drenth recording a field goal, EHS opened a 9-0 lead in the first 6:30 of the opening quarter against D-B.
The Panthers led 12-2 when Drenth converted a three-point play with 16.1 seconds left in the stanza, but a late basket by the Blackjacks made it a 12-4 difference before the period was complete.
D-B went on a 7-2 run in the first 2:00 of the second period to trail 14-11 before Ellsworth closed the quarter with a 16-4 surge that gave it a 30-15 advantage at the intermission.
Groen had eight points in the second-period run.
The Blackjacks scored the first six points of the third period to trim Ellsworth’s lead to nine points (30-21), but a 7-0 surge featuring five points from Drenth gave the Panthers a 16-point cushion (37-21) they maintained at period’s end.
Ellsworth never let the Blackjacks get any closer than 15 points in the fourth quarter before winning by 19 in the end.
Marla Groen, Missy Leuthold and Boltjes recorded three assists each for EHS. Drenth, Marla and Jenna Groen had two steals each.
The 1-1 Panthers play in Edgerton Monday.
Box score
Boltjes 1 2 0-1 8, M.Leuthold 0 0 0-0 0, Jenniges 1 0 0-0 2, Drenth 6 0 4-8 16, J.Leuthold 0 0 0-0 0, M.Groen 0 0 2-2 2, J.Groen 4 1 4-7 15, Kramer 2 0 0-0 4, Timmer 1 0 0-0 2.
Team statistics
Ellsworth: 18 of 41 field goals (44 percent), 10 of 18 free throws (56 percent), 31 rebounds, 26 turnovers.
D-B: 10 of 54 field goals (19 percent), nine of 18 free throws (50 percent), 28 rebounds, 20 turnovers.