By John RittenhouseThe Ellsworth boys’ basketball team extended its season-long winning streak to five games by posting a pair of wins on the road.The Panthers won the Mitchell Holiday Tournament title for the first time by defeating Geddes by 11 points in Mitchell, S.D., Tuesday, Dec. 30. Curt Schilling returned to the court for Ellsworth Monday in Okabena, where the Panthers secured a 23-point win over Southwest Star Concept.Ellsworth, 6-4 overall, plays state-ranked Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in Tyler tonight before traveling to Lake Benton Tuesday.Ellsworth 63, SSC 40Schilling made an immediate impact during his return to the court in Okabena Monday.In his first athletic competition since sustaining a serious knee injury during a football game in Hills Sept. 19, Schilling turned in a standout performance by leading the Panthers with 21 points and 12 rebounds during a 23-point win over the Quasars.Ellsworth doubled SSC’s scoring output (20-10) in the first quarter of play before increasing the lead to 18 points (37-19) by halftime. SSC sported a 13-12 scoring edge in the third quarter to trail by 17 points (49-32) before falling by 23 points at game’s end.Panther coach Ken Kvaale was glad to have Schilling back, but he wasn’t pleased with his team’s performance overall."SSC played an aggressive 2-3 zone, and we were passing up some pretty good shots. We also need to work on our rebounding. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win," he said.Tom Janssen made four three-point shots and netted 14 points for the Panthers. Todd Alberty scored 13 points and collected eight rebounds. Adam Sieff charted seven assists.Box scoreCr.Schilling 7 2 1-2 21, Janssen 1 4 0-0 14, Co.Schilling 1 1 0-0 5, Sieff 2 0 2-2 6, Alberty 5 0 3-8 13, Farrell 2 0 0-0 4.Team statisticsEllsworth: 46 percent field goals (totals were not available), six of 12 free throws (50 percent), 33 rebounds, 11 turnovers.Ellsworth 80,Geddes 69The Panthers captured their first championship at the Mitchell Holiday Tournament by besting Geddes by 11 points in Mitchell Tuesday, Dec. 30.The game was up for grabs with 2:30 left to play, when Ellsworth put together a 15-6 run that settled the issue.Alberty led the Panthers with 28 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the game. He came up with a crucial play when the Panthers were nursing a 65-63 edge with 2:30 remaining.Alberty snatched an offensive rebound and converted it into a basket that ignited the game-clinching run.Some defensive breakdowns on Ellsworth’s part allowed Geddes to stay close to the Panthers at the first two quarter breaks. EHS sported 20-14 and 32-27 leads at the end of the opening periods.Ellsworth increased the difference to 11 points (58-47) with a 26-20 scoring advantage in the third quarter before winning by 11 with its run late in the fourth."I would say our defense was the key in this game," said Panther coach Kvaale. "We also exercised good patience on offense."Cody Schilling, who came up with what Kvaale said were two key rebounds late in the game, recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Sieff, who led EHS with eight assists, made 14 free throws during a 23-point effort. Janssen scored 13 points for the winners. Lee Farrell added six assists.Box scoreJanssen 2 3 0-0 13, Co.Schilling 2 1 3-4 10, Sieff 3 1 14-17 23, Alberty 11 0 6-7 28, Herman 1 0 0-0 2, Farrell 1 0 2-3 4.Team statisticsEllsworth: 55 percent field goals (totals were unavailable), 25 of 33 free throws (76 percent), 32 rebounds, eight turnovers.
