Throughout the last week, all of the high school boys basketball teams in Pierce County played their final regular season games as they prepare for the playoffs to begin throughout the first week of March.

For schools like Ellsworth, the playoffs are a promising opportunity to put an exclamation mark on what has otherwise been an underwhelming season. For the Panthers, much of that has been out of their control due to injuries, most notably, that of star senior point guard Jack Janke, who missed more than half of the regular season with an ankle injury.

Since Janke’s return, the Ellsworth offense has displayed moments of brilliance. The offense has helped turn around a team that at one point had lost six games in a series of eight contests. Now, Ellsworth goes into the postseason as winners in four of its last five contests, with victories against Cochrane-Fountain City, Somerset, New Richmond and Altoona. The lone loss was on the road against a tough Rice Lake program.

Near the end of January, there were still questions regarding the health of Janke and whether he would return to the team. At that time, Ellsworth head coach Jordan Petersen spoke about what Janke’s return would mean to his team in the closing stretch of the regular season.

“It would be huge,” Petersen said. “Just from an energy standpoint, to get one of the top players in the conference back, to give us a little extra boost of confidence and swagger. It would be another punch offensively.”

Petersen’s prediction of what Janke’s return would mean for the team was correct. Janke has revitalized Ellsworth’s offense and is putting up numbers very few players in the illustrious Middle Border Conference can do. In one of his first games back, at home against Saint Croix Central, Janke dropped 34 points in the victory.

With his offense and the team’s momentum going into the playoffs, the Panthers won’t be an easy first-round game. Ellsworth’s first playoff game is on the road against Osceola on Tuesday, March 1. That game is slated to begin at 7 p.m.

Spring Valley falls to Clear Lake, Elk Mound In the final two games of the regular season, Spring Valley lost nearly as many games as it had in the previous 21 games. The back-to-back losses to end the regular season, a 57-68 loss at home against Clear Lake and a 60-64 loss at home against Elk Mound, was a tough way to end what had otherwise been a brilliant regular season.

In the game against Clear Lake, the Cardinals struggled to slow down what proved to be a dynamic Warriors offense. Clear Lake went into the game with a 20-2 overall record for the year and as one of the best Division 5 teams in the state. The Cardinals struggled to keep the Warriors’ offense in check, as four different Warriors scored in double figures for the evening.

After that loss, Spring Valley hosted its regular season finale two days later on Thursday, Feb. 24, against the Mounders of Elk Mound. In their first meeting this season on Friday, Jan. 21, Spring Valley defeated Elk Mound 52-46 on the road.

The Mounders played much better the second time around, specifically, junior point guard Ryan Bartig, who finished the game with 20 points, three rebounds, six assists and a steal. He shot an efficient 5-6 from the floor and 8-12 at the free throw line en route to the 64-60 victory.

For Spring Valley, the senior forward once again led the scoring charge. He finished the game with 21 points on 9-12 shooting from the floor. He also grabbed seven rebounds in the final home regular season game.

The Cardinals will play the winner of Augusta and Regis on Friday, March 4. That game will be played in Spring Valley and is slated to begin at 7 p.m.

River Falls boys finish regular season with a 74-46 victory over Chippewa Falls The River Falls boys basketball team will head into the playoffs with a 19-5 overall record and an 11-3 record in Big Rivers Conference games this season. The Wildcats also had a nice confidence- boosting win at home over BRC opponent Chippewa Falls on Thursday, Feb. 24.

While River Falls has had sustained success this season, Chi-Hi has had a tough year. Chi-Hi finished the regular season with a 4-20 overall record and a 2-12 record in conference play. As was to be expected, River Falls made quick work of Chi-Hi in the final home game of the regular season.

The Wildcats outscored Chippewa Falls 42-21 in the first half and cruised to a 74-46 victory at home. River Falls senior forward Ethan Campbell was the standout for the Wildcats. Campbell finished the game with 25 points in 22 minutes of action, all while shooting 73% from the floor. Campbell also grabbed 12 rebounds and dished for three assists in the 28-point blowout victory.

River Falls goes into the playoffs as the #2 seed in its region of the Division 2 playoff bracket. River Falls will host the winner of Holmen and La Crosse Logan, two teams that the Wildcats have already defeated this season. That home playoff game is scheduled for Friday, March 4, with tip-off set for 7 p.m.

Elmwood/Plum City finishes regular season on a four-game winning streak The Elmwood/Plum City Wolves head into the playoffs as winners of six of its last seven games as well as four straight to finish the regular season. The most recent victory was on Thursday, Feb. 24, on the road against Dunn-St. Croix Conference opponent Colfax.

The Wolves quickly dismantled any Colfax hopes of winning. The Wolves outscored the Vikings 36-19 in the first half and rode the momentum to a 61-44 victory to improve to 17-6 overall for the season as well as 10-4 in Dunn-St. Croix Conference games.

Elmwood/Plum City senior forward Luke Webb continued his stellar play with a 26-point performance. His full stat line also included 10 rebounds, two assists, a steal and three blocks. Senior guard Travis Seipel also had a good game, which included 13 points on 5-5 shooting from the floor, as well as seven rebounds and two assists.

The fifth-seeded Elmwood/Plum City Wolves host the #12 seed Cadott Hornets in the first round of the playoffs. The winner of that game will advance to play fourth-seeded Whitehall on the road on Friday, March 4. Tip-off for both of those games is slated for 7 p.m.

Elmwood/Plum City senior forward Luke Webb backs down Spring Valley senior guard Charlie Maier during a game earlier this season. Webb has been the driving factor in the Wolves’ success this season and looks to continue it throughout the playoffs. Photo by Reagan Hoverman

Ellsworth senior guard Alex Coulthard takes and makes a three-point jumper during a home game earlier this season. Coulthard and the Panthers go into the playoffs as a #9 seed and will play on the road against Osceola in the first round of the postseason. Photo by Reagan Hoverman