By John RittenhouseThe Ellsworth boys’ basketball team earned a berth in the championship game of the Mitchell (S.D.) Holiday Tournament by posting a pair of wins at the event.Ellsworth registered a 31-point victory over White Lake in Friday’s opening round before coasting to a 62-point win over Wessington Springs in Saturday’s semifinals.The 4-4 Panthers took a season-long three-game winning streak into the event’s championship game against Geddes played Tuesday, Dec. 30. Ellsworth plays Southwest Star Concept in Okabena Monday.Ellsworth 86, WS 24The Panthers dominated play while securing a 62-point win over an inexperienced WS team during Saturday’s semifinals in Mitchell.Ellsworth made 54 percent of its field goals while outscoring WS in all four of the game’s quarters."WS is a younger squad that might be all right in a couple of years," said Panther coach Ken Kvaale. "Their coach told me that his players were intimidated in our game. It was a nice win for us, because it got us back to the .500 mark and was our third win in a row."The Panthers limited WS to 14 points in the game’s first three quarters.EHS sported 21-6, 43-11 and 66-14 advantages at the quarter breaks.Ellsworth’s reserves outscored WS 20-10 in the fourth quarter to make it a 62-point difference at game’s end.Brian Gacke recorded a double-double for the winners by scoring 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Todd Alberty and Cody Schilling led the Panthers with 20 and 17 points, while Tom Janssen and Ben Herman chipped in 14 and 11 points respectively.Adam Sieff passed for 15 assists in the game. Herman, who collected nine rebounds, tied Janssen for the team lead with three steals.Box scoreJanssen 3 2 2-4 14, Schilling 6 1 2-2 17, Sieff 0 0 1-2 1, Alberty 10 0 0-0 20, Bittner 0 1 1-2 4, Herman 3 1 2-2 11, Tresbesch 0 0 0-1 0, Gacke 4 0 5-7 13, Klaassen 1 0 0-0 2, Farrell 1 0 2-2 4.Team statisticsEllsworth: 54 percent field goals
