Although wins have come at a premium for the Ellsworth boys’ basketball team this season, the Panthers certainly had no issue getting one in front of a packed house on senior night.

The Panthers put on a show for the big crowd and rode a hot shooting night from several key players to a season-high point total in the 78-54 drubbing of Christ’s Household of Faith, a private school based in St. Paul.

Ellsworth had four players score 15 or more, two of whom were seniors; point guard Lance Gipford tallied 17 on 7-14 shooting from the floor and Kaeden Graff had 15, all of which came from beyond the three-point line. For Ellsworth head coach Derek Staley, getting a win on senior night was a great way to honor his four seniors.

“We wanted to get a win for them and they’ve left everything on the floor this year,” Staley said. “Lance Gipford, Jurell Gooden, Kaeden Graff and Kaden Schommer, the effort on the floor has never been an issue. It’s a credit to the senior class. They’re grinders, they work hard and we’re certainly going to miss that effort next year.”

Whether it was the emotion of senior night, the sizable crowd or simply just an evening of superb offensive execution, the Panthers got whatever looks they wanted against the Christ’s Household of Faith Lions on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

Although Ellsworth eventually generated high-quality looks, it didn’t begin immediately after the tip. The Panthers traded buckets with the Lions throughout the first eight minutes but slowly built a one-point lead, 16-15, with just over 10 minutes to play in the first half. That’s when Ellsworth found its rhythm offensively.

The Panthers strung together a 10-2 run that spanned just two minutes in large part because of junior Parker Woodland, who scored seven of the 10 points almost immediately after coming off the bench. Woodland hit a wing three-pointer, slashed into the lane for a layup and even hit a stop-and-pop mid-range jumper that gave Ellsworth a 26-17 lead.

Throughout the next five minutes, Christ’s Household of Faith battled its way back into the game with multiple three-pointers and efficient scoring at the rim. With three minutes to play in the opening half, the Lions had pulled within three points of Ellsworth, 31-28.

However, Ellsworth continued to have success offensively, largely because the Panthers got contributions from nearly every player on the floor. Ellsworth closed the half on a 14-4 run that saw four different players record points during that span.

When the halftime buzzer sounded, Ellsworth had built a commanding 45-32 lead and finished its highest-scoring first half of the entire season up by more than a dozen. Coach Staley spoke about how having several players get going offensively led to the best opening half of the season.

“I want us to play with balanced scoring so that teams can’t just focus on Lance (Gipford),” Staley said. “It was good to see on Tuesday and we’ve been emphasizing sharing the ball and getting more guys touches. We’ve been harping on being ready to shoot and Tuesday night we were ready to shoot and we made shots.”

After building a double-digit lead going into the break, Ellsworth continued its highest- scoring performance of the season and cruised to a 78-54 win. While the program honored its seniors on Tuesday night, it was freshman George Rohl who led the Panthers in scoring.

The freshman starting forward finished with 19 points on 6-12 shooting from the floor. He also grabbed six rebounds and had two blocks in the blowout win. For Coach Staley, seeing Rohl execute in the post and use a variety of moves to create open shots was a big step for the player he knows will be the future of the program.

“George Rohl had a big night and his size inside is starting to be more noticeable. He’s starting to get more comfortable and he finally had a breakthrough night,” Staley said. “He’s taken another jump and it’s just a testament to his work ethic and his ability to take coaching. He’s just a good kid, so it’s really good to see.”

In addition to Rohl’s team-high 19 points, other notable scoring included Woodland and Gipford, who each tallied 17, in addition to Graff’s 15 points. The Panthers were also active defensively, as they snatched 40 rebounds, blocked eight shots and grabbed eight steals against Christ’s Household of Faith.

With the win, Ellsworth improved to 5-14 overall and remained 2-10 in Middle Border Conference games. The Panthers remain well below .500 for the season, but they’re playing better basketball in the last couple of weeks than they have all season.

Staley’s young program has started to find its rhythm offensively and his Panthers have doubled down on being a hard-nosed, gritty defensive team. He spoke about how his team is playing with the playoffs quickly approaching.

“We are, and that’s been the encouraging thing down the stretch here,” Staley said when asked about his team playing the best it has all season in recent weeks. “We played Baldwin-Woodville pretty tight. We’re embracing the mentality of getting a little better every day and we’re starting to play better basketball. If we keep that up, you never know what can happen in the tournament.”

Ellsworth is slated to be back in action on the road against the New Richmond Tigers on Tuesday, Feb. 14. Tip-off for that Valentine’s Day special is slated for 7 p.m. at New Richmond High School.

Senior Lance Gipford of the Ellsworth boys basketball team makes a driving layup during the Panthers’ senior night game against the Christ’s Household of Faith Lions. The Panthers not only beat the Lions, but they scored a season-high 78 points in the process. Photo by Reagan Hoverman