cBY BUDDY TABLER
Special to the Tribune
ELLSWORTH — Larned's Cassidy Wachs scored eight fourth-quarter points and Cammy Upson scored on a rebound basket to rally past Ellsworth 41-37 in Thursday's non-league basketball victory.
Despite Lainey Peschka’s 26 points, the Larned girls outlasted Ellsworth. Peschka dominated the scoring, but Larned countered with better balance as seven players scored.
Larned (8-8) featured Jadyn Crosby and Karley Lemuz with seven points and Lauren Sleder and Cammy Upson with six apiece. The Indians converted 14 of 38 field goals (37%) and added 7 of 13 free throws.
“We shot it better in the second half," said Larned coach Jerrod Smith. "As usual, our defense was good, although we lost Peschka on a few occasions. Upson’s putback was big for us. We did a good job of controlling the ball in those final minutes.”
Both teams struggled as Ellsworth grabbed a 13-10 halftime advantage. Larned made four field goals (19%) and Ellsworth shot 12% with a trio of field goals.
Things heated up in the second half as both teams found their shooting eyes and Ellsworth moved to a 29-24 third quarter lead behind the scoring of Peschka.
Larned continued to pound the ball inside, getting baskets or fouls on Ellsworth. The strategy began paying dividends as the Indians grabbed the lead in the fourth quarter behind the inspired offensive play of Wachs.
Ellsworth (11-5) recovered from 12% first half shooting for 12 of 40 shooting (30%) with 10 of 18 free throws.
Larned 8 2 14 17 — 41
Ellsworth 8 5 16 8 — 37
LARNED (8-8) (FG 3 FT TP)—Wachs (2) 2-2 8, Crosby 3 1-2 7, Reynolds (1) 0-0 3, Brooke Simmons 1 1-2 3, Lemuz 2 3-5 7, Sleder (2) 0-2 6, Upson 3 0-0 6, Totals 14-38 (6) 7-13 41
ELLSWORTH (11-5) (FG 3 FT TP)—Peschka 9 (3) 5-6 26, Lindsley 0 4-6 4, Place 1 0-0 2, Moore 2 1-4 5, Totals 12-40 (3) 10-18 37
LARNED 42, ELLSWORTH 36 — Larned's Carson Shaver scored on a rebound basket and Carter Crosby converted a pair of free throws as the Indians held off Ellsworth 42-36 in Thursday's non-league basketball game.
Balanced scoring was the highlight for the Indians featuring Tristan Regan (9), Carson Shaver (8), Anthony Gonzalez (7), Kylier Greene (6) and Deacon Martin (6). Larned (6-10) made 15 of 37 field goals (43%) and converted 12 of 19 free throws.
“Our defense was good tonight," said Larned coach Luke Steinlage. "We were doing well early in our man-to-man, but we were getting too many fouls. They weren’t scoring on us, but we kept putting them on the free throw line. We switched to a zone and it was effective. We got scoring from a lot of guys tonight and that was good.”
Ellsworth's Dax Leiker scored 12 points and Jace Thomasson added 11 points. Ellsworth (7-10) converted 14 of 46 field goals (30%) and 3 of 9 free throws.
Larned's boys gained revenge for two 2024 losses to the Ellsworth Bearcats. The low-scoring affair played right into the hands of the defensive-minded Indians.
Larned took advantage of Ellsworth’s cold shooting to forge a narrow 9-7 first-quarter margin and a 19-19 halftime tie. The Indians then made their first three shots of the third quarter for a 32-26 edge moving into the final stanza.
Larned took advantage of a height advantage and posted a number of inside baskets and also turned two Ellsworth turnovers into points early in the fourth quarter to keep their margin at 4-to-6 points. The Bearcats returned the favor and after a Larned turnover, scored on a breakaway to cut the Indians lead to just two points as the game moved into the final three minutes.
Larned 9 10 14 10 — 42
Ellsworth 7 12 7 10 — 36
LARNED (6-10) (FG 3 FT TP)—Regan 2 5-6 9, Shaver, 2 2-4 8, Gonzalez 3 1-1 7, Deacon Martin 2 2-2 6, Crosby 1 2-4 4, Greene 3 0-2 6, Pinkston 1 0-0 2, Totals 15-37 12-19 42
ELLSWORTH (7-10) (FG 3 FT TP)—Leiker 4 (2) 2-3 12, Thomasson 4 (3) 0-0 11, Goss 3 1-4 7, McGowan 2 0-0 4, Cameron Gardner 1 0-2 2, Totals 14-46 (5) 3-9 36
