Ellendale boys' hoops runs away with 60-43 win over Washburn
Jan. 6—JAMESTOWN — The Ellendale High School boys' basketball team's offense could not be stopped in a 60-43 win over Washburn High School on Saturday, Jan. 6, at the Jamestown Civic Center.
The first half was incredibly back and forth as the teams traded the lead back and forth as Washburn went into the second quarter up 13-12. Ellendale got a big play midway through the second quarter when they had three chances at the hoop and Anton Geller hit a layup to push his team in front 17-15. Ellendale outscored their opponents through the remainder of the second quarter as they went into the half up 30-22.
"When it started to get a little bit harder in that second half, I noticed we started getting frustrated," Washburn head coach Josh Sharp said. "We've had two really physical games in a row. Guys were getting frustrated. We turned the ball over. ... They didn't hit shots I think was the deal. We didn't let 23 (Mason Molan) get wide-open looks, we had talked about that and that had kept us in the game when we gave them 21 extra possessions between turnovers and offensive rebounds. When you go to the second half, we couldn't stop 23 (Molan), we didn't have an answer for him, we continued to turn the ball over, we continued to give up offensive rebounds."
After the Washburn Cardinals cut their deficit down to 33-27, the Ellendale Cardinals responded with a run that saw them steal the momentum heading into the fourth quarter when Mason Molan splashed a three to take the 45-29 lead. Ellendale would continue to pull away from there and with approximately two and a half minutes to go in the game, both teams went down their benches.
"DJ's (Waldo) always been a leader, number 10," Ellendale head coach Brian Vance. "He's always been a leader, he always makes sure people are in the right spots. He's a basketball junkie, knows the game really well. Sam (Reis), number 14, who played a little bit in the first four quarters, that was his first varsity experience too. I thought he did a nice job for a young guy, trying to make up for Kade. The cover's not gonna be bare in Ellendale."
The Ellendale Cardinals return to the court at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 9, when they take on Sargent County.
EHS 60, WHS 43
EHS: 12 18 15 15 — 60
WHS: 13 9 17 14 — 43
