Ellsworth girls 54 Lyons 23
Ellsworth had 11 of 12 players score as the Bearcats opened the season with an NCAA league win over Lyons.
Ellsworth led 12-4 after the first period and 28-10 at halftime. A big third quarter led to a 45-18 advantage after three quarters and went on to win 54-21.
Alexis Moore was the leading scorer for Ellsworth as she had 11 points on five field goals and was 1 of 2 from the charity stripe. She also had four rebounds. Elyse Haxton had 10 points on two field goals and two 3-point shots. Lyons was led in scoring by Sierra Belote with 11 points. She made 8 of 16 free throws and added a 3-point basket as well.
The pressure defense of Ellsworth forced 29 Lyons turnovers, while committing 11 turnovers themselves. Lyons made 10 of 18 free throws while Ellsworth made 11 of 22 free throws.
Ellsworth held the rebound advantage with 34 boards to 22 for Lyons.
Ellsworth is 1-0 on the season. Lyons is 0-1.
Lyons boys 54, Ellsworth 34
Lyons used their quickness to offset the height advantage held by Ellsworth as the Lions held the lead for all but a few minutes in the first quarter.
Lyons led 12-9 after the first period and expanded the lead to 23-13 at halftime. Using a 25-9 scoring advantage in the third quarter, Lyons pulled to a 26-point lead, 48-22, as the period ended. Ellsworth dialed up the pressure in the final stanza to cut the lead down to 16 points, but Lyons held on to win 54-34.
Paco Espinoza of Lyons was the leading scorer in the game with 17 points, with four field goals and three 3-pointers. Anthony Ventura was also in double figures for Lyons with a pair of triples.
The leading scorer for Ellsworth was Tucker Goss with 10 points, all coming in the second half.
Lyons made 4 of 5 free throws with Detrell Stanley making 3 for 3. Ellsworth made only 1 of their 10 attempts from the free-throw line.
Lyons had 26 rebounds with Tegan Link pulling down 13 of those boards and Paco Espinoza grabbing 8. Ellsworth also had 26 rebounds as Ethan Tully ended with 12 rebounds. The pressure defense out of a 2-3 zone by Lyons forced 15 Ellsworth turnovers.
Lyons is 1-0 while Ellsworth is 0-1. Next week, Lyons will travel to Moundridge for early-season tournament action, facing the host Moundridge Wildcats on Tuesday. The girls tip at 6 p.m. with the boys to follow at 7:30.
Ellsworth will compete in the Amos Morris Tournament in Russell on Tuesday as the Ellsworth girls will face Smith Center at 6:30 p.m. and the boys will follow at 8:00.
