Ellsworth basketball went into the winter break on a jolly note, sweeping a girls and boys basketball doubleheader. The girls crushed from the opening tip to the final horn in a 52-22 win over Mondovi while the boys won a physical nightcap 76-60 Dec. 22.

The girls were lockdown defenders all evening, leading 23-10 at the half and giving up just 12 more in the second half.

“They came close to beating some teams that have beat us in the past. We knew we weren’t going to come out lightly,” Head Coach Haylee Yaeger said.

There was a consensus between players and coaches heading into the game. If the Panthers could limit inside opportunities and force Mondovi into three-pointers, they would come out on top.

“We are very known to be a small team,” Yaeger said. “The fact of us getting killed on the inside, whether it’s putbacks or offensive boards for the other team, we just knew we couldn’t. We had to protect the lane.”

“It’s definitely just learning how to work together as a team,” senior post Libby Groh said. “Shutting down their posts helped a lot in keeping them to shooting threes.”

Now, as they head into the break, the Panthers look to use the time off to rest but also continue to bond and build chemistry.

“A resting period will be really good just to recover and then come back super strong,” Groh said. “Working together is something that we’re working really hard on.”

Yaeger said the underclassmen have taken some time to find their roles and confidence. Now that they have 10 games under their belt, they have the confidence to play varsity basketball, go for 50/50 balls and make plays late in games.

“Just the fact that they’ve played, now, 10 games plus every day in practice against some of our more experienced players giving them that confidence that they can do it, but knowing where they fit in our team,” Yaeger said. “Just seeing that hustle in them. I always say ‘Hey, if you hustle, you’re going to get minutes.’”

Freshman Tate Huppert had 18 points in the win followed by sophomore Jenna Stoltenburg with 12 points, eight assists and seven rebounds and senior Lexi Marks with 11 points and eight rebounds.

Ellsworth returns to action Jan. 9 at home against Amery. Yaeger expects some players’ injuries to heal during the break and the Panthers to make a run.

As for the boys, a high-pressure full-court press forced a handful of Rice Lake errors to lead Ellsworth to a 10-0 run to open the game. The Warriors pushed back, but Ellsworth took a 38-31 lead into the half.

“Just kind of an ugly game a little bit. I was proud of how we got punched a little bit and fought back,” Head Coach Derek Staley said. “Credit to Rice Lake, they’re physical. They gave us some problems with a little physicality.”

Rice Lake chipped away at the deficit, going on a 10-0 run to cut Ellsworth’s lead to 59-57 with 5:30 to play. Senior guard Parker Peterson took over offensively, scoring 11 points in the final five minutes to finish with 13.

“Overall, it just helps that we have a lot of experience on the court,” Peterson said. “We’ve all been together since we were little, so we all have that connection, and it kind of just flows every time we play.”

Peterson was not exaggerating on the experience, as Ellsworth has nine seniors on the varsity roster. The players have been playing together since middle school or even younger at this point, which gives an advantage over opponents.

To master the press, assistant coach Logan Benson has worked with both the guards and posts to make sure they understand where every player on the court is going and why.

“It’s pretty good when we get it all flowing in one,” Peterson said. “The skill guys understand what the big men are doing, the big men understand what the skill guys are doing. We’re all just like one big tribe.”

He said the hot start boils down to preparation before the game and eating healthy.

Having nine seniors is the reason Staley has confidence in the team to pick up their opponents at the other end of the court. In the final minutes, the experience shines through.

“That style that we’re able to play. We play a pretty full-court game,” Staley said. “Got the ball to the right guys and made free throws. I think that’s probably where it shows up the most.”

“Just understanding our system of play [has been the biggest improvement]. We put in a few big wrinkles with the full-court press and how we’re playing a little bit offensively up-tempo,” Staley said. “Day one, we were pretty lost in what we were doing, and now we are learning and getting better every day.”

Other top contributors on the day were junior Jacob Michels with 17 points on five triples, senior George Rohl with 15 points and 11 rebounds, senior Gavin Klos with 11 points and senior Omar Coulson with nine points and eight assists. Ellsworth is 2-2 on the year after the home opener.