Hills-Beaver Creek junior Tom LeBoutillier drives to the basket in front of Ellsworth?s Lee Farrell during Monday?s boys? basketball game in Hills. H-BC secured a 72-65 win over the Panthers to up their season record to 4-0.By John RittenhouseA winter storm outside couldn?t match the intensity inside the Hills-Beaver Creek High School gym Monday, where the H-BC Patriots squared off against Ellsworth in a boys? basketball showdown.H-BC and Ellsworth, two of the area?s top teams, met in an early-season game between two friendly rivals.For now, H-BC owns bragging rights over the Panthers by handing the state runners-up from last season a 72-65 setback at the end of a competitive game.The win ups H-BC?s record to 4-0. Ellsworth slips to 1-3 with the loss.H-BC got off to a fast start by scoring the first five points of the opening quarter before sporting a six-point lead (9-3) after Trey Van Wyhe connected for a field goal at the 4:41 mark of the period.The Panthers whittled H-BC?s lead down to three points twice, but a late surge by the hosts, capped by a field goal from Tyler Bush with five seconds remaining, gave H-BC a 24-15 advantage at period?s end.Tom LeBoutillier gave the Patriots a 12-point advantage (27-15) when he converted a three-point play early in the second period.Ellsworth, however, countered with a 20-4 run that ended with Adam Sieff converting a three-point play with 1:21 remaining in the first half to give the Panthers a 35-31 edge.H-BC answered with a field goal by Van Wyhe before Zach Wysong drained a three-point shot at the buzzer to give the Patriots a 36-35 lead at the intermission.The Patriots opened the third quarter with an 11-0 run that ended with them opening a 47-35 lead when Kale Wiertzema nailed a field goal at the 4:30 mark of the period.H-BC led by 13 (55-41) when Van Wyhe converted a three-point play with 1:17 left in the quarter, but three-point shots by Ellsworth?s Todd Alberty and Sieff in the final minute of the period made it a 56-47.Alberty hit a three at the 2:30 mark of the fourth quarter to bring the Panthers within five points (66-61) of H-BC for the second time in the quarter. H-BC?s Wiertzema, Wysong and Tyler Bush made two free throws each to ice the game for the Patriots.Wiertzema scored 26 points, pulled down six rebounds and passed for six assists for the winners. Van Wyhe added 12 points and nine rebounds to the winning cause. Bush added 11 points and nine assists.Alberty led the Panthers with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Sieff scored 11 points and recorded six assists. Lee Farrell netted 13 points and Brian Gacke charted eight rebounds for EHS.The Patriots host Fulda tonight before playing at Edgerton Public Monday. Ellsworth hosts Dawson-Boyd tonight and Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster Monday.Box scoreEllsworthJanssen 4 0 0-0 8, Schilling 0 0 0-0 0, Sieff 3 1 2-2 11, Alberty 5 4 4-4 26, Herman 1 0 0-0 2, Gacke 1 0 3-6 5, Farrell 2 3 0-0 13.H-BCBush 3 0 5-6 11, Wysong 1 1 2-5 7, Broesder 0 1 1-2 4, Wiertzema 5 4 5-6 26, Van Wyhe 5 0 2-4 12, Spykerboer 2 0 0-0 4, LeBoutillier 3 0 2-3 8.Team statisticsEllsworth: 24 of 54 field goals (44 percent), 13 of 21 free throws (62 percent), 34 rebounds, 10 turnovers.H-BC: 25 of 63 field goals (40 percent), 16 of 26 free throws (62 percent), 28 rebounds, eight turnovers.
