The Ellsworth Panthers girls’ basketball team had an action-packed week that featured three non-conference opponents including Owen-Withee, Hastings, and Milwaukee Golda Meir, all of which the Panthers won.

Ellsworth, winners of three consecutive and five of the last six, has hit its stride approximately one month into the season as the Panthers improved to 5-2 overall. For Ellsworth head coach Jason Janke, the undefeated week was a big step for his roster.

“It felt really good and going into the week, we felt good about competing each night,” Janke said. “I think Hastings we were going to be happy to stay in that game, that’s a very big school and just taking a look at their roster they don’t dress anyone smaller than our tallest kid.”

While Hastings was always going to be the most challenging of the three-game stretch, Ellsworth first had to get through Owen-Withee on Monday, Dec. 12. Ellsworth blitzed the Blackhawks in the opening portion of the first half, as five different Panthers registered points en route to a 35-16 halftime advantage.

Perhaps no performance was greater in the first 18 minutes of action than that of sophomore guard Morgan Halverson, who had 14 points going into the halftime intermission. Other scoring included Ellsworth junior Molly Janke with seven, junior Maria Harrington had nine, junior Ava Brookshaw had three and senior Ashlyn Townsend had two.

The Panthers cruised to a 58-41 victory at home over the Owen-Withee Blackhawks to win the first of Ellsworth’s three-game heater. Jason Janke’s squad suited up the following night for the latter half of a back-to-back which featured a home contest against the Hastings Raiders in a border battle on Tuesday, Dec. 13.

The Panthers rode late second-half free throws to a 59-58 victory over the Raiders. However, it didn’t always appear as if Ellsworth would win or even stay competitive against Hastings. The Raiders jumped out to a 28-15 lead midway through the first half, in large part because of excellent three-point shooting.

Hastings’ hot start to the game included five three-pointers, three by junior guard Emma Baker and two by junior forward Lindsey Wagner. The Raiders also took advantage of their size, as offensive rebounding led to multiple scores on second-chance opportunities.

“They jumped us early,” Jason Janke said. “We were down 28-15 before we righted the ship and we closed it to 30-26 at halftime by going on a little run, and that was huge for us.”

After Hastings’ scoring barrage to start the game, Ellsworth made a late first-half push to close the gap. The Panthers finished the final seven minutes of the half on an 11-2 scoring run which made it a four-point game, 30-26, going into the intermission.

Ellsworth’s run began with a running floater by Towsend. A couple of possessions later, Halverson grabbed an offensive rebound and made the putback layup to cut the deficit to single digits, which forced a Hastings timeout.

When halftime arrived, Ellsworth had climbed out of a sizable double-digit deficit. Just two minutes into the second half, Ellsworth had knotted the game 31-31. Molly Janke broke that tie with a deep wing three-pointer which gave the Panthers their first lead, 34-31, since the opening possession of the game when it was 2-0.

Ellsworth held onto a small lead throughout a majority of the second half which forced Hastings to foul in the closing minutes. The Panthers took advantage and made nearly all of their late free throws which helped secure a 59-58 victory over the Raiders.

“The big key was that we got a lead and hit free throws down the stretch,” Jason Janke said. “It was critical. We ended up 22-32 from the line. They were down seven with about three minutes left so they started fouling. We were 14-16 in the second half from the free throw line. If you get a lead and shoot like that, you’re not going to get beat.”

Molly Janke led all scorers for the night with 32 points; Halverson, Kressin and Townsend all had six, Brookshaw had four, junior Aubrey Wittenberg had three and Harrington had two.

Ellsworth had three days off after the back-to-back against Owen-Withee and Hastings before securing a 64-25 win against Milwaukee Golda Meir in Wisconsin Dells on Saturday, Dec. 15. The non-conference blowout marked Ellsworth’s third win in as many games.

For Jason Janke, winning three straight and five of the last six gives his team some momentum and confidence heading into a big game at home against the Somerset Spartans on Tuesday, Dec. 20. Somerset currently sits in a tie for second place in the Middle Border Conference with a 2-1 record in league play.

“I have such respect for Cory (Lindenberg) because he’s such an excellent coach,” Jason Janke said. “It’s just a great program he’s built. I think it will be a battle of zone defense and pressure. They are very sound and they won’t give you games, you’ve got to beat them.”

With a win, Ellsworth would move into a share of second place in the Middle Border Conference. That Tuesday night matchup is slated to begin at 7 p.m. in Ellsworth.

Ellsworth senior Mary Prissel drives in for a layup during the Panthers’ home opener against River Falls earlier this season. Photo by Gaylen Bicking